Davina McCall’s partner said ‘I am going to start worrying’ in health battle admission

Celeb hairdresser Michael Douglas has opened up about his partner Davina McCall’s health battle after she had an operation to remove a benign brain tumour in November of last year

13:08, 11 Jun 2025Updated 14:29, 11 Jun 2025

Davina and Michael struck up a romance in 2019 (Image: undefined via Getty Images)

The partner of legendary TV presenter Davina McCall has opened up about her battle with a benign brain tumour – revealing the moment he was going to start seriously worrying.

Former Big Brother host Davina shocked her fans last November when she told them about the colloid cyst. The 57-year-old had the tumour removed but her boyfriend, hairdresser Michael Douglas, has opened up about the weeks and months that followed.

After being asked about Davina on Ireland AM, Michael said: “The brain surgery was, what, 15th of November, so I thought, you know, by Christmas, we would be out of the woods and all that.

Davina has spoken about how Michael stepped up in recent months amid her health struggles (Image: Getty Images)

“But we weren’t actually, it took a long time. In the end I remember saying, ok, let’s give it until April, and we will see where we are and if we are not back in April, then I am going to start worrying.”

Thankfully, Davina is now thriving, and he revealed: “Just towards the end of April, everything just like dropped back into place, and I was like, ‘oh wow’, you know.

“And she looked at me and she said, ‘I’m back, like, I’m totally back.’ And I was like, ‘Then so am I.”

The benign tumour was uncovered when Davina and Michael, who first met 20 years ago backstage on Big Brother, went to health screenings together.

And Michael, who began dating Davina in 2019, said: “I came out completely clear. And I abused my body quite badly, you know.

Davina first met Michael while backstage on Big Brother (Image: Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)

“And she was like, ‘Oh my god, I’ve got a brain tumour.’ We were like, ‘What?’ So yeah, it was a big shock.”

Davina has since become an advocate for people with benign tumours and has used her platform to state that ‘benign doesn’t mean fine’.

And Michael gave a frank insight into what the future may have looked like if the tumour was not discovered. He said: “She had the tumour her whole life apparently, but it had grown and it was filling the entire space.

“And if grew any more, which they didn’t know whether it would or wouldn’t, then she could have had quite a severe stroke, or something like that.

“So it was a case of saying, let’s get it out before you have to get it out in an emergency situation.”

Davina opened up to Michael about how ‘scared’ she was before the operation to remove the cyst(Image: Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)

And speaking to Women’s Health UK recently, Davina herself praised her partner for how he stepped up during her health struggles.

She said she shared her “true feelings” with him before her operation, and remembered: “I said I felt really scared. I had a massive cry… he said that when we first got together, he was like, “You’re quite hard to look after, how do I do that?”

However, showing his love for her, he remained by her side throughout her recovery, and she recalled him saying: “You know, I’ve been training for this moment. And I’m ready, you know, I’ve got your back.”

Davina has been given the all clear since surgery and speaking on Instagram this month, she told her followers: “I am feeling much, much, much better. I am nearly ready to drive, which is a big indicator of how I’m feeling.”