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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Lauren Goodman-Grafton

Davina McCall says she feels 'revolting' at times but keeping fit gives her confidence

Davina McCall, 54, is a champion for women. Following her ground-breaking documentary Sex, Myths And The Menopause, she has become a voice for us all and we admire her for it.

Her book, Menopausing, is due out in September and she tells us it’s become her “mission in life” to urge women to speak more openly about the menopause and highlight the vast misinformation surrounding it.

A trusted face on our TV screens for more than 20 years, she’s the perfect person to lead the conversation on this sensitive issue. In fact, ever since we first heard the words “this is Davina” in her Big Brother days, the public has tended to sit up and listen.

Davina is certainly relatable. She might be a celebrity, but she’s incredibly humble – on her website she calls herself simply “a mother and a friend”.

Davina has always been into fitness (davinamccall/Instagram)

"You can’t have body confidence without being confident all over," she tells us.

"You just have to feel good about yourself. That’s not about what you look like, it’s about the feeling you get inside. It’s like magic!

"Sometimes you can have it and by midday it’s gone. Then, by three o’clock it comes back again.

"For example, I have days where I wake up in the morning and I think, 'I love this outfit, it’s all coming together nicely,' then I get on the Tube and someone shoots me a weird look and I think, 'I’m revolting.'

"Then I get to the afternoon and have a great meeting and feel really good about myself again

"The one main thing that evens me out in terms of confidence and how I feel is my fitness. I’m talking about getting outside and doing a 20-minute brisk walk or doing a 10-minute workout when I get home.

"You don’t have to start massive, but doing any kind of exercise really helps."

Davina showcases rock hard abs in crop top and tiny shorts (davinamccall/Instagram)
Davina shows off her incredible figure while paddleboarding in Turkey (Instagram)

And Davina admits she didn't accept herself until she hit her forties.

"I honestly feel it was mid to late forties," she said.

"I now do not care what anyone thinks of me."

And Davina thinks when it comes to fitness, people can set "unrealistic goals".

She explains: "You see all these men with big buff muscles and 0% body fat. However, you can’t go from being somebody who has a normal body shape to a bodybuilder overnight. It’s an unrealistic goal.

"You need to set yourself easy and achievable goals, otherwise it will not get you where you want to go.

If you knock your confidence and don’t achieve your first goal, it will make you feel bad. Set yourself really easy and achievable goals. Once achieved, set yourself a higher one. Nothing good ever happens quickly. It has to be lifetime changes. Fitness is for life and not just for summer."

Davina is an ambassador for affordable fashion brand JD Williams.

"I love the khaki green cheesecloth button-front playsuit from the JD Williams Staycation Collection as I’m a huge fan of jumpsuits and dungarees," she said.

"It can be worn very casual with ankle wellies but also dressed up, if you want, with heels and jewellery.

"The one thing I was really blown away by this year at JD Williams was the swimwear. It’s all so flattering. I wore the vibrant islands tie-detail swimsuit in the recent photoshoot and absolutely loved the shape."

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