Davina McCall has revealed the last words she said before being put to sleep for brain tumor surgery.
The television presenter, 57, revealed on Friday that she was going to undergo surgery that morning to remove a benign but “very rare” colloid cyst, which affects only three in a million people.
In the latest episode of her Making The Cut podcast, which was recorded two days before her operation, she shared more details about the procedure, confessing that she was “worried” and finding it all “intense.”
Joined by her boyfriend Michael Douglas on the podcast, she explained: “All I know is that I have chosen an incredible surgeon, I have absolute faith in him.
‘I’ll give you the wheel, get in the passenger seat and enjoy the ride.
“While I’m being subdued, which is a very nice feeling, by the way, I’m going to set an intention and I’m going to say, ‘love, love, love, all the way.'”
Davina McCall revealed the last words she said before being put to sleep for her brain tumor operation as she shared more details about the ‘worrying’ surgery.
She made the comments on the latest episode of her Making The Cut podcast with her boyfriend Michael Douglas, which was recorded two days before her operation.
Elsewhere in the chat, Davina confessed that she had been “ignoring” the fact that her surgery was approaching and had “buried her head in the sand” after learning she had a colloid cyst as a result of a random health check. .
Sharing his surprise at the diagnosis, he confessed: “I went into this medical checkup with arrogance. It’s me, a fitness lady, and I came out with a benign brain tumor.’
Davina continued: ‘I hid my head in the sand a bit because they said it’s a colloid cyst and sometimes it grows and sometimes it doesn’t and sometimes it just stays stable for years.
“So I thought, ‘Well, I don’t need to do anything about it, they can just scan me again.'” Then someone called me and said they’d like to make an appointment with a neurosurgeon and I was like, “That doesn’t sound right!”
“So I went to talk to this person and he showed me my brain, which blew my mind, the weirdest thing ever.” He pointed it out to me, it’s right in the middle of my brain.
Davina revealed that she “didn’t really understand” what the neurosurgeons were telling her and sought help and advice from her doctor and a friend who had also had a brain tumor in the past.
Revealing the risks of removing the cyst, Davina shared: “It’s in the area of short-term memory – they say, ‘How’s your short-term memory?’ “I’m menopausal, it’s not at best! nothing good!
‘But what I do know is that if my short-term memory is affected, there are things I can do about it. I’m a fighter and that’s all.’
Davina shared: ‘As I’m being subdued, which is a really nice feeling by the way, I’m going to set an intention and say, ‘love, love, love, all the way.'”
Joking about craniotomy (removing part of the skull to access the brain), he continued: “Michael was saying that when they took a piece of my skull out, unicorns, streamers and fireworks would come out… If you dig a little deeper, a photo of Michael naked!
However, although she was quick to assure that she was in good spirits, Davina confessed that she was still worried about the operation.
Explaining why she decided not to reveal her pre-recorded news until she was in the operating room, she said: “I didn’t want the drama and I was really thinking about my kids.”
“It’s hard enough to go through something like this alone, but when there are a lot of people stopping you on the street and worrying about you – well, I’m worried – I don’t need other people’s worry. It’s intense, it’s really intense.
“I’m putting my phone down, not using social media for a couple of weeks.”
Revealing why she decided to speak out about her operation, Davina continued: “I know I’m very well known and if I don’t tell people and I disappear for two or three weeks, they’re going to start digging and they’ll tell their side of the story.
“I’d rather they take something out of my mouth.”
Revealing that she would be taking two months off work to recover, the mother of three continued: “It’s a big deal, but I’m in very, very good hands.” I don’t want you to worry about me.
“Michael and I are rock solid, my kids are great, they’re coping brilliantly and I’ve got some really good friends around me. Lots of people looking out for me.
‘I took two months off, I have a lot of recommendations to watch and read, I’m going to learn to play a song that I can perform for you (Michael). I’m ready.’
Over the weekend it was revealed that she was out of surgery and was ‘recovering in the ICU’ in another update.
Michael wrote on his Instagram: ‘Update folks. Thank you very much to all the supporters. She has really taken a huge leap forward in the last 24 hours.’
Davina ended by asking her fans to keep an eye on her boyfriend, whom she has been dating for five years.
—Will everyone take care of Michael? she asked. ‘If you see him, give him a hug.’
Last week, Davina told fans that she would be undergoing brain surgery.
The presenter said she received the diagnosis by chance after scheduling herself for a “health analysis.”
A colloid cyst is a slow-growing tumor that is usually found near the center of the brain. The benign growth contains gelatinous material.
They are often asymptomatic and are discovered incidentally during imaging tests.
If symptoms occur as the tumor grows, they are commonly reported to include headaches that are most severe in the morning upon waking, nausea, and blurred vision, with other key signs including vertigo and double vision.
Most patients experience headaches, although other symptoms such as vertigo, memory problems, and double vision may occur.
If large enough, a colloid cyst obstructs the movement of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in the brain, which leads to a high risk of sudden death.
She said: “I was offered a health check and I thought it was going to be excellent, but it turned out I had a benign brain tumour, which is very rare, three in a million.”
“I had my head in the sand a little bit for a while, visited some neurosurgeons, had a lot of opinions and realized I needed to get it out.
‘It’s quite big, it’s 14 mm wide and you have to remove it because if it grows it would be bad. I’m going to have it removed.
He added: ‘Say a prayer for me. I’m in a good mood.’
Davina explained that while she was not at any immediate risk, doctors were concerned the tumor could grow and cause complications.
She revealed that she had been feeling “up and down” and explained that she would be in hospital for at least nine days before returning home.
The TV presenter, 57, shared the news in an Instagram post on Friday that she had a “very rare” colloid cyst which affects only three in a million people (pictured with Michael).
The presenter’s partner revealed a big update on Tuesday that she was now out of intensive care.
He wrote on his Instagram: ‘Update folks. Thank you very much to all the supporters. He’s really taken a huge leap forward in the last 24 hours.
‘She’s out of the ICU. She is ‘loving consciousness’. Thank you xx Michael.’
The grid post then read: ‘Update: mega progress in the last 24 hours. A great relief to see some light breaking through. Thank you for all the good vibes that come from all angles. Up and up.’