Davina McCall has revealed she underwent breast cancer surgery and urged others to “get checked”.
In a video posted on Instagram, leading said she was “very angry” when she found out about the cancer but felt “much more positive” after her lumpectomy.
McCall said she discovered a lump a few weeks ago that was “coming and going” and had to get it checked after seeing posters urging women to “get their breasts checked” while working on ITV show Lorraine.
She said: “I had breast cancer. I discovered a lump a few weeks ago. It came and went but then I was working on TV shows The Masked Singer and Lorraine and Lorraine Kelly put signs on the back of all the doors saying 'check your breasts' and every time I went to the toilet I did it.
“It was still there, and then one morning I saw myself in the mirror and thought, 'I'm going to take a look at this.'
“I had a biopsy. I found out it was indeed breast cancer and I had it removed in a lumpectomy almost three weeks ago.”
McCall added: “It was very, very small, so I got it very, very early, which is incredibly lucky. But I'm so glad it was removed and I know it didn't spread.”
“My lymph nodes were clear, I didn’t have them removed, and all I’m going to do now is have five days of radiotherapy in January as a sort of insurance policy.”
In her post, McCall, 58, paid tribute to medical staff, her family and her partner, hairdresser Michael Douglas.
She said: “I just want to say a huge thank you to everyone at the Royal Marsden. [hospital] …all the nurses, doctors who helped me, thank you for your support.
“Thank you to my family, my brilliant children and a special thank you to Michael. It was a lot. I was very angry when I found out but I let it go and now I feel in a much more positive place.”
She added: “I think my message is: get checked, if you're worried, get yourself checked regularly. If you have a mammogram, get one. And I have dense breasts and I had a mammogram in August and I've been putting off the ultrasound. I just couldn't find the time to get it done. Don't do it.”
Last November The presenter underwent surgery for a “very rare” tumor. The benign brain tumor, known as a colloid cyst, was discovered after she was encouraged to undergo a medical examination as part of her menopause advocacy work.
In a tearful interview earlier this year, McCall said the craniotomy, which involved removing part of her skull to remove the tumor, was the “most difficult ordeal” she had endured. In April, she said she had a benign brain tumor. “I won't be back”.
The former Big Brother presenter has long been involved in women's health issues and has presented documentaries on contraception and menopause. Her bestseller MenopauseThe book, co-written with Dr Naomi Potter, was named Book of the Year at the 2023 British Book Awards.
