Davina McCall: ‘I hated feeling like I didn’t have any control over my body, but things did get better and they’ve stayed better'

The TV world can be notoriously fickle, so it’s no mean feat that Davina McCall has been on our screens for over 30 years, enjoying an eclectic presenting career that includes shows like Big Brother, The Masked Singer, and Long-Lost Family. 

But that’s not to say that things have always run smoothly for the 54-year-old. In 2017, she endured a very public and painful shock split from her husband of 17 years, businessman Matthew Robertson, at a time when she was battling debilitating symptoms of menopause, which left her feeling exhausted, confused, and out of touch with her body – something which the fitness guru found particularly difficult. "I completely lost my passion for working out and I had no get-up and go, which is so unlike me. It felt very scary."

Davina tells us, "I completely lost my exercise mojo during my early peri days, which was very hard for someone who relies on it to feel good. Ever since I had my middle child, Tilly, I’ve been really into fitness but I lost my impetus to do any kind of exercise whatsoever. I had nothing in the tank and I just wanted to lie around and watch telly."

After that, Davina says she could see the pounds going on around her middle. "I've always yo-yoed a bit," she explains, "but it would come and go and I wouldn’t have to do too much about it, but this time I couldn’t shift it." She adds, "I hated feeling like I didn’t have any control over my body, but things did get better and they’ve stayed better."

The TV presenter credits her split with ex Matthew and 'the divorce diet' with helping her lose a few pounds. She says, "I’ve put a bit back on but not all of it and I’ve been absolutely fastidious about making sure that I'm eating the right things and the right amounts to keep me on the straight and narrow."

Something that Davina says has really helped her is HRT, although it wasn't initially without its own problems. "My boobs got massive when I first went on HRT," she says, "which made me feel bigger, but they calmed down again. And actually, HRT made me want to eat well and go to the gym again."

Apart from changes to her body, the star has also ex[erienced a pretty huge new lifestyle change - finding love! The presenter is choosing to keep her private life private as she says, "I am very happy but we like keeping what we have to ourselves. We’ve been together a long time now and everybody is more used to it, but it still feels too precious to be plundered."

The full interview with Davina is featured in the November issue of woman&home, on sale September 29, 2022