Davina McCall nearly quit TV
Debilitating menopause symptoms left Davina McCall seriously questioning her future in TV.
Davina McCall almost quit TV over her debilitating menopause symptoms.
The 58-year-old star - who has Holly, 24, Tilly, 22, and 19-year-old Chester from her first marriage to Matthew Robertson - admitted hormone changes left her struggling with her emotions, her memory, and even her eyesight, to the point where she was worried she'd have to give up work.
She told The Sun on Sunday newspaper: "These aren’t sweats, or aches, or joint pain, or shooting pains in your head, or palpitations.
“These are just mental. But these are all real, and these are very disconcerting to me — to the point where I thought, ‘I’m not sure I can present television any more’.
“My eyesight went a bit weird. I couldn’t really read the autocue. I was presenting a show called Stepping Out.
“I couldn’t remember Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen’s name. I mean, that name is so recognisable.
“And I’m like, ‘Oh my God, I am on a live TV show’. And I was having to say, ‘You’.
“The woman from ITV came in, said, ‘Are you OK? I was like, ‘Sorry, I’m fine. Bit tired today.’ And she leaves and I just burst into tears.
“I couldn’t f***ing function. I’d look at my daughters laughing so hard — when was the last time I did that?
“The shame around all of that was so massive, and shame was unfamiliar to me.”
But hormone replacement therapy (HRT) has left the Masked Singer judge feeling like her old self again.
She said: “I want to say I am 58. I am out the other side."
Davina revealed last year she had been diagnosed with breast cancer and she was initially reluctant to take HRT as a result.
The presenter - who has received the all-clear - explained: "Breast cancer and HRT is a big thing, and people are very, very scared about that. HRT does not give you breast cancer.
“But if you have, like I had, oestrogen receptive breast cancer, the oestrogen can feed your cancer. So, it could make it grow quicker.
“With my cancer, it could have made it do that, but I found it very early because I check. I do mammograms and ultrasound.
“But me, my oncologist and my menopause doctor decided that because I’ve also got cardiovascular disease, it is safer for me to stay on HRT because it helps with my blood vessels.
“I’m super hyper vigilant now. I keep checking — that is best for my health. Everybody is different. My journey will be different. You have to go on your own journey.”
