Cliff Notes – Davina McCall was really angry and stamping feet after breast cancer diagnosis
- Davina McCall expressed her anger upon receiving her breast cancer diagnosis, feeling it was an unjust second health blow after her previous brain tumour surgery.
- She highlighted the importance of self-examination, crediting a workplace poster for prompting her to check for lumps, which led to her early diagnosis.
- Despite her initial frustration, McCall has since adopted a more positive outlook, preparing for radiotherapy and encouraging others to stay vigilant about their health.
Davina McCall was ‘really angry and stamping feet’ after breast cancer diagnosis
Davina McCall has opened up about how angry she was to find out about her breast cancer diagnosis a year after undergoing surgery for a benign brain tumour.
The TV personality, 58, revealed on Saturday via a candid social media video that she was diagnosed with breast cancer a few weeks ago, and promptly had a lump removed.
It’s been a devastating year for Davina, who called her brain tumour diagnosis and craniotomy surgery the ‘hardest’ time in her life, so this second huge health blow left her angered.
During a Dine With Davina charity event, the Daily Mail reports Davina recalled: ‘I got really f*****g angry. And you know me, I’m a pacifist – I don’t really get angry – I’m like Tigger. I’m just always happy.
‘I was like: ‘Are you f******g joking? What the f**k! Are you serious?’
‘I was keeping it all in and Michael [Douglas, her celebrity hairdresser partner] one day looked at me and he said: “Stop. I can see what you’re doing. You’re not going there.” He said: “Let’s talk about it.” I said: “I’m fine.”
Davina McCall has been through the year from hell after both a brain tumour and breast cancer diagnosis (Picture: Nick England/Getty Images)
‘He said: “You’re not fine.” I was like: “No, no, I’m fine. Honestly. I’m not f*****g fine, that’s why I’m f*****g mad.”
‘He just sat and he came and watched me and I was f*****g stamping my feet. And it felt so good.’
Elsewhere at the event, Davina said in an interview that although she has to undergo radiotherapy in the new year, she’s happy to see the back of 2025.
‘I can’t wait for New Year’s Eve. Goodbye 2025. I was f**king angry about that. But I’ve had incredible care and I feel a lot more positive now I’m on the other side of it,’ she said.
How to check for signs of breast cancer
CoppaFeel! offers these simple steps on how to check your own chest for signs of cancer.
Look
Look at your boobs, pecs or chest.
Look at the area from your armpit, across and beneath your boobs, pecs or chest, and up to your collarbone.
Be aware of any changes in size, outline or shape and changes in skin such as puckering or dimpling.
Feel
Feel each of your boobs, pecs or chest.
Feel the area from your armpit, across and beneath your boobs, pecs or chest, and up to your collarbone.
Be aware of any changes in skin such as puckering or dimpling, or any lumps, bumps or skin thickening which are different from the opposite side.
Notice your nipples
Look at each of your nipples.
Be aware of any nipple discharge that’s not milky, any bleeding from the nipple, any rash or crusting on or around your nipple area that doesn’t heal easily and any change in the position of your nipple
Davina – who said doctors couldn’t ‘quite believe’ how early she caught the breast cancer – reiterated that her biggest intention in speaking out about her ordeal is to prompt other women to check their breasts for lumps, like she did after seeing a poster while at work.
In her social media video announcing her breast cancer diagnosis on Saturday morning, Davina said: ‘Hello. I am talking about this because I think it may help someone, and this is what I always do.
The star said she was ‘really angry’ when she found out about her breast cancer, and stamped her feet to let out pent up frustration (Picture: Neil Mockford/FilmMagic)
Davina was prompted to check her breasts following a poster from ITV show Lorraine (Picture: ITV/Shutterstock)
‘I just wanted to tell you that I have had breast cancer. I found a lump a few weeks ago and it came and went, but then I was working on The Masked Singer and Lorraine Kelly’s TV show had put signs on the back of all the doors saying to “check your breasts” and every time I went for a wee, I did that.’
Having found a little lump a few weeks ago, Davina checked it again after seeing the sign.
‘It was still there. One morning I saw it in the mirror and thought I needed to get it looked at, so I had a biopsy and found out that it was indeed breast cancer,’ she revealed.
Davina has previously thanked her partner Michael Douglas for all his support throughout her health problems (Picture: Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)
Davina then went on to say she had it taken out in a lumpectomy nearly three weeks ago.
‘The margins were very small so I got it very, very early, which is incredibly lucky. But I am so relieved to have had it removed and to know that it hasn’t spread. My lymph nodes were clear and I didn’t have any removed. All I am going to do now is have five days of radiotherapy in January, as kind of an insurance policy, and then I am on my journey to try and stop it ever coming back.’
She then went on to offer a ‘massive thank you’ to the staff at the Royal Marsden Hospital, as well as her family, kids and partner Michael Douglas.
‘It’s been a lot. I was very angry when I found out, but I let go of that and feel in a much more positive place now. I think my message is, get checked if you’re worried. Check yourself regularly. If you are due a mammogram, then get it done.’
Now, Davina, who says she used to ‘love stress’ and ‘firing on all cylinders’ is making a change in her life to stop, breathe and take a moment to be present.
Breast cancer symptoms
The first symptom of breast cancer that most women notice is a lump or an area of thickened tissue in their breast.
You should see a GP if you notice any of the following:
a new lump or area of thickened tissue in either breast that was not there before
a change in the size or shape of one or both breasts
a discharge of fluid from either of your nipples
a lump or swelling in either of your armpits
a change in the look or feel of your skin, such as puckering or dimpling, a rash or redness
a rash (like eczema), crusting, scaly or itchy skin or redness on or around your nipple
a change in the appearance of your nipple, such as becoming sunken into your breast
Via NHS.
In November Davina was hospitalised and underwent a serious surgery after a random health check discovered a 14mm benign tumour, known as a colloid cyst.
Months after the operation – and following a difficult recovery – Davina was given the all-clear in April 2025.
While hosting this year’s Comic Relief in April, Davina held back tears as she shared: ‘I had a pretty mad year this year. Doctors found a benign brain tumour by chance and after a lot of deliberating I had it removed.
‘And it’s been, quite possibly, the hardest thing I’ve ever been through and this whole experience, weirdly, kind of weighing up all the risks and all the positive things about having this tumour removed made me think deeply about what life is all about, and what really, really matters when things get tough.’
Macmillan cancer support
If you or someone you care about has been diagnosed with cancer, Macmillan can offer support and information.
You can contact their helpline on 0808 808 00 00 (7 days a week from 8am to 8pm), use their webchat service, or visit their site for more information.
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