Davina McCall announced that her benign brain tumour “is not coming back” after recent MRI scans.
The former Big Brother presenter had surgery in November 2024 after doctors found a colloid cyst during a health checkup as part of her advocacy work for menopause.
In a tearful interview last month, McCall said the craniotomy, which entailed removing a portion of her skull to extract the tumour, was “the hardest thing” she had endured.
“So here it is. Our final brain surgery update,” a joyful McCall, who was joined by her boyfriend, Michael Douglas, told her 2.1m Instagram followers on Saturday.
“I was a bit nervous about it because I knew if any of it was left, then it would grow back, and I’d just go through the whole thing again – which I was prepared to do,” McCall said in a sunny video.
“I was also very nervous about it,” said Douglas, who had cared for the 57-year-old as she recovered at home, adding: “It’s been a huge journey.”
“But it was clear!” revealed McCall.
The couple also shared their “heartfelt” gratitude for the medical teams as well as their friends and family who supported them throughout.
“I am so, so grateful, particularly because I know a lot of people have inoperable tumours, and I know I’m lucky to be able to draw a line under this and move on with my life when so many people can’t,” she said.
Colloid cysts are benign, fluid-filled sacs in the brain’s ventricles, the four cavities in the brain. Benign tumours are not cancerous, and they account for less than 2% of all primary brain tumours, but the rate of growth and symptoms can vary from person to person.
These brain tumours are more common in the over-50s. Symptoms to look out for are headaches, vision problems and drowsiness, the NHS website says.
McCall added she wanted to disabuse people of the assumption that benign brain tumours were not life-threatening, as they could be fatal. “And I’m just gonna say this one more time … benign does not mean fine.”
Source: theguardian.com
