Tearful Davina: ‘A baby’s a gift – losing one is unimaginable pain’
The TV presenter opens up about being a mum and the ‘unimaginable pain’ of losing a child...
We loved her as the energetic ringmaster on
The Jump, but Davina McCall admits the role she’s most devoted to is being a mum.
Not that she’s planning any more siblings for Holly, 15, Tilly, 13, and 10-yearold Chester with husband Matthew Robertson.
‘I’ve been blessed with three healthy children,’ she explained. ‘That’s enough, and I’m totally happy where we are.’
But not all mums are as lucky, as Davina discovered on a recent trip to Tanzania for Comic Relief. She met mum-of-nine and gran-of-five Mkola, who explained how she’d miscarried a baby and lost a grandchild to malaria.
Listening to Mkola’s story, Davina said, ‘As a mother, I can’t begin to imagine what that must feel like.’
Reminiscing about her own pregnancies, she continued, ‘I remember so well the fabulous feeling of pregnancy; the little secret you carry for the first three months, the sense of hope and excitement, but also the nagging worry that something might not go according to plan.’
After all, it was motherhood that changed Davina’s life.
‘It changed the person I wanted to be. Motherhood is about being selfless,’ confessed the fitness fanatic.
‘A few years ago, I made a bold statement. I said, “When I became a mother, I joined hands in sisterhood with mums around the world.” But as I sat with Mkola, I was reminded how there is one unifying truth that knows no boundaries: losing a child is unimaginably painful.’
Davina lost her own mother, French-born Florence Kock, nine years ago in April, aged 62, to pneumonia, while she was battling bone cancer.
She left Davina with her paternal grandparents when she was just three years old. They had irregular contact, but in 2000 their fragile relationship was dealt a fatal blow when Florence, an alcoholic, sold a story falsely claiming that Davina’s drink and drug problems had returned. ‘She never apologised, and the trust had gone,’ the presenter said.
But, while her relationship with her own mother was far from perfect, Davina is close to her own children and her hubby of 17 years, Matthew. The pair renewed their vows in Las Vegas in 2015, and are happier than ever.
‘There’s no drama. We’ll disagree about something, like who ate the last piece of cheese, then half an hour later, we’ll come back, I’ll say sorry, he’ll say sorry.’
We’re rather like Matthew, Davina – we like you just the way you are.
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