Davina McCall has become a staple of British television over the past three decades, presenting the likes of Big Brother and a host of other programmes.
While she may be used to helping others share their stories, the 56-year-old – and her partner Michael Douglas – took to Instagram on Friday to announce news regarding her health.
In the video, McCall reveals that a scan found a 14mm benign brain tumour – known as a colloid cyst – in her brain, which requires surgery to remove.
Her partner has updated people with the news on social media.
“Hey everyone. Michael here. @davinamccall will be “off grid” for a bit while she recovers from this brain operation,” her partner wrote.
“I’ll do the odd update from her account here for anyone interested. I’m sure she’ll read all the comments when she’s able to so feel free to send love.”
Hundreds of well-wishers have left get-well-soon messages under the post, with some wondering who the presenter’s partner is. Keep reading to learn more about Douglas and his relationship with McCall.
Who is Michael Douglas?
Despite sharing his name with a famous Hollywood actor, this Douglas hails from Lancashire and worked as a motorbike mechanic before turning his hand to hairdressing in the 1990s.
After joining Wella’s London studio, the 49-year-old began working with celebrities, styling the likes of Kate Moss and Claudia Schiffer at New York Fashion Week.
Since then, he has worked with celebrities including Sienna Miller and Johnny Depp and made regular TV appearances, including a regular stint on BBC’s The One Show.
How did he meet Davina McCall?
During the 2000s, the hairstylist won a job styling McCall’s hair during the Big Brother heyday. The pair clicked and he quickly became her go-to hair stylist, and they became close over their 20-year friendship.
How long have the couple been together for?
The couple – who both have children from previous marriages – went public with their romantic relationship years later, in 2019, with their relationship growing closer after McCall’s separation from ex-husband Matthew Robertson in 2017.
The pair currently host a popular podcast together, called Making the Cut, where they share their views on lifestyle products and experiences.
What has Davina McCall said of their relationship?
Speaking to The Sun, McCall said: “We are best friends. We just get on really well at work and we always have done – that’s never changed.”
In a January 2023 episode of the podcast, the couple shared the news that they’d moved in together. “I am quite enjoying being a new couple doing new things, because we are newly living together,” McCall said. “It’s quite nice making new traditions because we did that before Christmas, we sat down together and talked about it: ‘Ok, blank space, what shall we make tradition from now on?’”
After accepting the award for Inspiration of the Year at last year’s Inspiration Awards, the iconic presenter told Hello! that her partner – whom she thanked in her acceptance speech – “makes me a much better person”.
She added: “He makes me skip to work in the morning, and I’m very lucky to have that, so I just want to say thank you to him as well.”
