Davina McCall’s partner has shared a health update on her behalf after the TV presenter underwent surgery to remove a benign brain tumour. Last week, Davina revealed she was being hospitalised for brain surgery and asked fans to “keep her in their prayers”.
The 57 year old Masked Singer judge had been diagnosed with a 14mm benign brain tumour, which was discovered during a health scan a few months ago. After her surgery, Davina stayed in ICU for treatment of the “very rare” tumour.
Her boyfriend, Michael Douglas, has now reassured fans that she is making good progress. In an update on Monday, he wrote: “Update- Mega progress these last 24 hours.
“Massive relief to see some light breaking through. Thanks for all the good vibes coming in from all angles. Up and Up. Thanks so much to all the well wishers. She really has made an enormous leap forward in the last 24 hours. She is out of ICU. She is “loving awareness”. Thank you xx – Michael.”
In a video update on Friday, Davina asked fans to keep her in their thoughts as Michael takes over her social media during her recovery, reports the Mirror.
Michael has reassured fans that Davina is in “great shape” but will be “off grid” until she’s fully recovered. In the caption of a heartfelt video, he penned: “Hey everyone. Michael here. @davinamccall will be ‘off grid’ for a bit while she recovers from this brain operation.
“She is in great shape and in very good hands. 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. The support of people is amazingly powerful. Have a great day everyone. Michael xxx”.
Alongside Michael’s words, a visibly moved Davina spoke to her followers in a clip, revealing: “I was offered a health scan which I thought I was going to ace but it turned out I had benign brain tumour which is very rare, ‘three in a million’.”
In the pre-recorded footage, she shared: “I’m posting this. It will be Friday morning, and I’m doing it because a few months ago, I did a menopause talk for a company, and they offered me a health scan in return, which I thought I was going to ace, but it turned out I had a benign brain tumour called a colloid cyst, which is very rare, three in a million.
“And so I slightly put my head in the sand for a while, and then I saw quite a few neuro surgeons. I got lots of opinions, and I realised that I have to get it taken out.”
Davina described the growth as a “big” one, 14 mm across, stressing: “It needs to come out, because if it grows, it would be bad.”
She revealed she would undergo a craniotomy, a surgical operation to temporarily remove part of the skull. “Say a prayer for me. I’m in good spirits,” she shared.
“I’m going to be in hospital for about nine days, and then I’m going to be going home, but I’m going to be off my phone for a while.
“But I don’t want you to worry about me. I’m doing that enough as it is. I am in a good space, and I have all the faith in the world in my surgeon and his team, and I am handing the reins over to him. He knows what he’s doing,” she concluded.
According to NHS guidelines, non-cancerous brain tumours are more common in individuals over 50, with symptoms including headaches, blackouts, behavioural changes and loss of consciousness.
The NHS defines a benign brain tumour as: “A benign (non-cancerous) brain tumour is a mass of cells that grows relatively slowly in the brain. Non-cancerous brain tumours tend to stay in one place and do not spread. It will not usually come back if all of the tumour can be safely removed during surgery.
“If the tumour cannot be completely removed, there’s a risk it could grow back. In this case it’ll be closely monitored using scans or treated with radiotherapy.”
The former Big Brother host, who currently presents ITV dating show My Mum, Your Dad, has been a long-time advocate for women’s health issues, and has presented documentaries on contraception and the menopause.
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