Davina McCall has revealed she could not remember having life‑saving brain surgery and was left unable to follow a film for six months, describing the post‑operative memory loss as being like 'advanced Alzheimer's'.

The television presenter, 58, said she woke from the operation with no idea it had taken place. A member of the hospital staff asked her each day whether she remembered their name, she said, but she could not.

Speaking to Paloma Faith on the Mad, Sad, Bad podcast, McCall said she 'couldn't remember anything' after the tumour was removed. She called 2025 'the hardest year' for her and her husband, the hairdresser Michael Douglas.

Mr Douglas would visit for two hours, leave to use the toilet and return to find her greeting him as if he had just arrived, she said. 'I didn't know he'd been there,' she told the programme.

Everyday tasks became impossible. McCall said she could not watch a film for six months because she could not recall what had happened 15 minutes earlier. She could not read a book either, as she forgot the previous page.

Surgery for a Rare Brain Cyst

McCall announced on 15 November 2024 that she was to undergo a craniotomy to remove a benign 14mm colloid cyst, a type of brain tumour she said affects about three in a million people. It was found during a health scan offered in return for a menopause talk she gave to a company.

Colloid cysts are slow growing and sit near the centre of the brain. Doctors were concerned the cyst could grow and cause complications.

Mr Douglas said later that day that she was out of surgery and the surgeon had called it 'textbook'. Within days of returning home, McCall told followers on Instagram that her short‑term memory was 'a bit remiss', but that it was something she could work on.

According to the NHS, non‑cancerous brain tumours are more common in people over 50. Symptoms can include headaches, blackouts, behavioural changes and loss of consciousness.

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Singing Lessons Helped Davina McCall Rebuild Her Memory

McCall credited singing lessons with helping her rebuild her memory. 'I did singing lessons. Music. That was my mind physio,' she said, adding that music had 'healed' her.

She said last October was the first time she woke up and remembered what she had done the day before.

Breast Cancer Diagnosis and Return To Work

In November 2025, McCall revealed she had been diagnosed with breast cancer the previous month after finding a lump. She had a lumpectomy and said the cancer was 'very, very small' and had been caught early. Her lymph nodes were clear, and she planned five days of radiotherapy in January 'as kind of an insurance policy'.

In April 2026, she told listeners of her Making the Cut podcast, which she hosts with Mr Douglas, that a check‑up had come back clear.

McCall, who has campaigned on women's health and fronted a Channel 4 documentary on the menopause, presents ITV's The Masked Singer and Long Lost Family. This year she received the Edinburgh TV Festival's outstanding achievement award, recognising a 30‑year television career.

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