DAVINA'S OP SHOCK
Davina McCall undergoes brain surgery for ‘very rare’ tumour as she begs fans ‘say a prayer for me’
Davina revealed her shocking news in the video below
DAVINA McCall has been diagnosed with a brain tumour as she asked for prayers before she has surgery to remove it.
She said before her operation: "It needs to come out because if it grows, it would be bad."
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The mum-of-three said she will undergo a major operation to get the 14mm benign tumour removed on Friday morning.
Davina, 57, reassured her fans that her doctors believed the tumour, called a colloid cyst, was benign.
It is a health issue, Davina said, that affects three in a million people.
She broke the news to her followers in a video on Instagram, telling them: "A few months ago, I did a menopause talk for a company and they offered me a health scan in return, which I thought I was gonna ace.
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"But it turned out I had a benign brain tumour called a colloid cyst which is very rare.
"Three in a million. So I slightly put my head in the sand.";
Davina said she got a second opinion, adding in the emotional clip: "I saw quite a few neurosurgeons, I got lots of opinions and I realised that I have to get it taken out.
"It's big for the space. It fills the space. It's 14mm wide and it needs to come out, because if it grows, it would be bad.
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"So I'm having it removed via a craniotomy.
"They go through the top of my head here and through the two halves of my brain to the middle, and get the cyst, take it out, empty it, take it out and Bob's your uncle."
Davina McCall gushes over the 'amazing work' of the NHS as she praises The Sun's Who Cares Wins awards
The Long Lost Family host told people not to worry, saying she has been doing "a lot of that" herself, and asked them instead: "Say a prayer for me."
Davina's partner, hairdresser Michael Douglas, appeared in the video alongside her.
He said he would update everyone on her progress while she takes some time away from social media.
He wrote the caption on her video and said: "Hey everyone. Michael here. @davinamccall will be off grid for a bit while she recovers from this brain operation.
"She is in great shape and in very good hands."
Michael went on: "I’ll do the odd update from her account here for anyone interested.
"I’m sure she’ll read all the comments when she’s able to so feel free to send love.
"The support of people is amazingly powerful. Have a great day everyone. Michael xxx"
Symptoms of a benign brain tumour
A benign brain tumour is a mass of cells that grows relatively slowly in the brain.
Benign means it in not cancerous.
Non-cancerous brain tumours tend to stay in one place and do not spread.
Some slow-growing tumours may not cause any symptoms at first.
When symptoms occur, it's because the tumour is putting pressure on the brain and preventing a specific area of the brain from working properly.
As the tumour grows and increases pressure in the skull, you might experience:
- New, persistent headaches that are sometimes worse in the morning or when bending over or coughing
- Feeling sick all the time
- Drowsiness
- Vision problems, such as blurred or double vision, loss of part of your visual field and temporary vision loss
- Epileptic seizures that may affect the whole body, or you may just have a twitch in one area
See a GP if you develop any of these symptoms.
They'll examine you and ask about your symptoms.
If they suspect you may have a tumour or are not sure what's causing your symptoms, they may refer you to a brain and nerve specialist for further investigation.
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Most people with a colloid cyst complain of headaches but can also suffer with double vision and vertigo.
A craniotomy is routinely carried out by a neurosurgeon, along with a specialist in brain and spinal cord surgery according to the NHS.
The operation can take up to six hours and Davina said she could be in hospital for up to ten days.
Guidelines suggest that it can take six weeks for a full recovery.
Davina was supported by pals including Julia Bradbury who said: "I know how scared you are."
Davina's Big Brother co-star Rylan was one of the first to respond to her video, writing: "We’re all thinking of you beautiful."
Fellow TV star Lisa Faulkner said: "Sending all my love to you. Best wishes and all positive prayers for a speedy recovery."
Britain's Got Talent judge Amanda Holden penned: "Sending so much love."
Davina has been at peak fitness for the past decade having turned to a life of exericse and cutting out booze and junk food.
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Last year she backed our campaign the ‘amazing work’ of the NHS as she praised The Sun’s Who Cares Wins.
The TV favourite has been loved-up with boyfriend Michael since 2019.
The presenter married shop manager, Andrew Leggett, in 1997, after whirlwind romance, and it lasted three months.
She was married to Matthew Robertson for 17 years, and they welcomed three children into the world, Holly, Chester, and Tilly - but divorced in 2017.
Her boyfriend Michael started doing Davina's hair back when her Big Brother career first began.
She had been using him as her hairdresser and 'therapy' go-to for 20 years before they publicly got together in the summer of 2019, making them great friends first.
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Speaking about dating again later in life, and her show My Mum, Your Dad, Davina told The Sun in 2023: "What I like about the show is it’s a nice reminder to society that you don’t give up on intimacy and sex when you’re in your forties, fifties and sixties.
“Actually, they could be the sexiest time of your life, when the baggage of kids is gone, they’ve all flown the nest, and you can actually go for it again!"
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