'My catastrophes were my greatest gift' - Davina McCall wants us to let our kids make mistakes

Davina McCall was well prepared to take on the “motherly” role for contestants of her new dating show Stranded on Honeymoon Island, she has revealed, after learning many poignant lessons – and facing many struggles – as a parent to her three children.

The show sees Davina guide contestants through what she calls a “tough experience” in an interview with The Independent.

She told the publication, “I feel like they needed to see Mummy, I’m like the mother of the show and they needed a bit of motherly love.”

It’s not just the contestants who can benefit from her “motherly love” though, as Davina has revealed the most poignant parenting she’s learnt over the years – and it’s a great reminder for anyone with children.

Revealing that she thinks the “big fear with parents” is that their children are going to make mistakes, she said simply, “They have to make mistakes."

Speaking to Birmingham Live, she explained, “When I look at my life, the greatest gift that I've been given have been all my catastrophes. I've learned most from the catastrophes and if you don't let your kids have catastrophes, how are they going to learn?"

It’s a lesson she learnt from one of her children, actually. And that’s the beautiful thing about parenting, she explained, saying, "If ever somebody's saying to me, I don't know whether to have kids or not, one of the reasons why I would say have kids is not because of what you can pass on, it's what they make you look at.

"Tilly, my middle one, has been the greatest at teaching me to stop micromanaging,” she added. “She is like, 'no Mum, let me try this – don't tell me what to do. I know what to do, and if it's a mistake, I'll still be OK'.”

She still struggles with certain aspects of motherhood, even though her children are now grown up. She revealed, "The hardest thing about motherhood is guilt.

"I used to feel really bad if I couldn't make things like sports day or speech day. I would try to, and book out these days roughly six months in advance – which is how long people book shows for – but you can't always do that, and sometimes you have to juggle.”