Davina: ‘With wrinkles also comes a sense of wellbeing’
TV presenter and super-fit mum of three Davina Mccall is feeling fabulous at 50, but she hasn’t always been so comfortable in her own skin. In her youth, she famously battled anorexia and drug addiction and, last year, she faced heartache when she split f
KNOW YOUR STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES
“At 50, I’m less impacted by life’s waves; I can ride them out. Sadly, there isn’t a magic wand that can help you get there, but with the wrinkles comes a sense of wellbeing that goes with age and life experience. I’ve come to terms with accepting my ‘defects of character’, as we call them in Narcotics Anonymous. I spent my 20s trying to get rid of them and being angry with myself that I wasn’t perfect, but now I know those things are a part of me. I know I’m sometimes a bit insecure or whatever, but I can park that and know what my strengths are, too.”
DON’T LET YOUR AGE HOLD YOU BACK
“I love my personal trainer Jackie’s approach. She says that you should never tell yourself how old you are. Her dog Rusty is 14, but he has no idea he’s 14, so he still runs as fast as he can, and chases all the other dogs, and fetches the ball. The only difference is that he needs a bit more rest after all that – which is also true of humans as we get older, too. The other day, she took him to the vet and his heart is the strongest they had ever seen for a dog his age. It’s all because Jackie treats him exactly the same way as she always has – they still run together, play together, eat the same food and have fun. You should do that with yourself, too – don’t tell yourself how old you are and let it hold you back.”
NEVER BE AFRAID TO STAND OUT
“When I was 42 or 43, I got a new stylist and I said to her, ‘Pick stuff you don’t think I’d wear – I don’t care if I end up in the What Was She Thinking? pages. In fact, I want to because it means I’m trying something different.’ I’d got so stuck wearing the same dress in different colours, and I didn’t want to be vanilla any more. If you feel sassy, you deliver sassy. My personal trainer Jackie always says – and I love this – ‘What other people think of me is none of my business.’
EAT NUTRITIOUS FOOD TO MAKE YOU FEEL GOOD
“Healthy eating isn’t really a concept any more, it’s just what I enjoy eating. I used to think, ‘Oh God, I‘ve got to eat some wholewheat pasta,’ but now I enjoy this idea of getting more goodness into my body.”
FIND A FORM OF EXERCISE THAT’S NOT A CHORE
“Exercise is very profound for me; I find it a great stress-buster. So many people think it’s a chore, but if you find something you like and enjoy, that enjoyment motivates you. You do it and it’s not a chore. That also gives you a sense of purpose. I’ve just started spinning and ballet barre and I love them! Signing up for something with friends is much more fun and it makes you train, too.”
SEE THE GOOD IN YOUR LIFE RIGHT NOW
“I definitely am the happiest, healthiest and fittest I’ve ever been. Somebody said to me, ‘I’d like to go back to when my kids were little,’ but I was so frazzled back then. For a long time I’ve been number 110 on the totem pole of important things to look after, and now my children are a little bit more selfsufficient, I’m edging my way up that totem pole. For a while I felt sad I’d never be able to have more kids, but now I feel liberated – I’ll always be a mum, but it’s my time now.”
WITH CONFIDENCE, FAKE IT TILL YOU MAKE IT
“In your 20s you’re endlessly thinking, ‘How do I become more confident? How do I become the person who can just talk to anyone?’ For me, it’s come with age, but I’ve had to fake it a lot. My daughter was nervous about her work experience, so I told her, ‘Just fake it until you start feeling it.’ Then it becomes real. People expect me to be confident, so even if I’m nervous I act sassy and confident, then I feel it. It’s also about owning who you are. Perfectionism is a terrible blight – so many people are obsessed with being perfect and it’s impossible.”