Davina McCall has revealed months of memory loss after brain tumour surgery, comparing her symptoms to those of advanced Alzheimer’s.
Speaking on Paloma Faith’s Mad, Sad and Bad podcast, she described how the problems affected everyday life.
For husband Michael Douglas, hospital visits brought home the scale of her memory difficulties. Davina recalled forgetting he had visited, even after they had spent two hours together.
She described 2025 as the hardest year of their lives.
Davina McCall’s memory loss after brain tumour surgery
Davina also explained how singing lessons became part of her recovery. She credited music with helping her regain her memory following the operation.
“I did singing lessons. Music. That was my mind physio.”
She recalled a significant moment in October 2025: waking up remembering what she had done the previous day.
The presenter, 58, underwent surgery to remove a benign brain tumour in 2024. The tumour was non-cancerous.
But she told Paloma that the aftermath affected even her awareness of what had happened in hospital.
“When I came out of the operation, I didn’t know I’d had an operation,” she said.
Hospital staff would ask Davina their names each day, but she said she could not remember them.
“After I’d had my brain tumor taken out, I had advanced Alzheimer’s,” she added.
Davina continued: “So I couldn’t remember anything. So 2025 was the hardest year of Michael’s and my lives.”
Her problems also made familiar activities difficult. Davina said she could not watch a film for six months. She would lose track of scenes from just 15 minutes earlier, making it impossible to follow the story.
Reading brought similar difficulties: she could not remember the previous page of a book.
Davina reveals Peter Kay’s private support
Alongside her brain tumour recovery, Davina faced a breast cancer diagnosis in 2025.
In August, she revealed that comedian Peter Kay had privately supported her through both health scares.
His involvement began with an unexpected phone call while she was in hospital for her brain tumour.
“I really don’t know him that well but he was unbelievably supportive,” she said.
Davina said his support continued when she received her breast cancer diagnosis. He helped her think through what she wanted to do and how she felt about discussing it.
She recalled deciding that she wanted to speak publicly about her experience.
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