‘ONCE YOU STOP TRYING TO BE PERFECT, IT’S SUCH A RELIEF’

COVER

Davina Mccall talks about making changes and loving life after 50

D avina Mccall is the kind of woman you want to be friends with. We know this because that’s how she makes the GH team feel when we meet her. She greets us all with tight hugs and, later, as she poses poolside, there are high kicks, howls of laughter and a good dose of cheeky humour: ‘Sorry everyone – flashed my bum!’

Life hasn’t always been easy for Davina: she was estranged from her mother, struggled with drugs and alcohol in her early 20s and was heartbroken when her sister, Caroline, died of cancer in 2012. She seemed happily married to Matthew Robertson, with whom she has three children – Holly, 17, Tilly, 15, and Chester, 12 – so it came as a shock when, in 2017, the couple announced they were splitting.

Yet, amid it all, Davina has hosted prime-time TV shows including ITV’S Long Lost Family, reinvented herself as a fitness guru, released chart-topping DVDS and completed gruelling physical challenges. And she’s trailblazing again with the launch of an online fitness programme called Own Your Goals.

Now 51, Davina explains why her hurdles have made her the strong woman she is today…

You seem in a good place. How do you feel?

My 50s are a banger of a decade! Every age has a different set of hurdles to get over, but I’ve calmed down a bit and I’m feeling a lot more at peace with myself. It’s a kind of self-acceptance, warts and all. We talk about that a lot in recovery. Once you stop trying to be perfect, it’s such a relief.

Where did you think you would be at this age?

I thought I’d be in my twinset and pearls with a pair of knitting needles. I thought the business would retire me at 45! I wasted a lot of time in my 40s thinking, ‘Have I achieved everything I wanted to?’ But I’m not worried about that nonsense any more; there’s a brilliant sense of inner confidence that comes with that.

You have this amazing outer confidence, too…

I haven’t always. I think a lot of my drug-taking in the early days was because I needed to make myself feel confident: and getting high was the only time I felt that way. Then I’d come down and feel all insecure again. It’s been a real process. I’ve had lots of therapy, been to lots of AA meetings and I’ve learned a lot via my children about being a mum: and that’s been very healing. If you’re prepared to look at your mistakes as little learning tools, then you can learn a lot by the time you’re 50. I certainly have.

How are you finding being a single mum?

Matthew is quite hands on, so I have support from him. We share the school runs in the morning, which is really nice. I won’t deny it feels quite full-on when I’m on my own, though. Now that Tilly’s nearly 16, I can go out and leave her and Chester at home for the evening, which has made quite a difference. I’m finding my new normal.

What is your attitude to romantic relationships right now?

I’d love to tell you about it, but I can’t say anything because of the kids. I feel like it’s all too new, and their wellbeing is the most important thing to me. And when other people are involved and nobody’s got a right to reply, it’s a bit like washing your dirty laundry in public. I can’t let myself do it.

You seem determined to prove that there are no age limits.

That’s really important to me. Whenever the Daily Mail has a story about me, it brilliantly uses the word ‘defiant’ next to my name: I love it. Please, Lord, let me be defiant until the day I die! I feel I need to show women in their 30s and 40s to fear not; there’s a lot of life to live in your 50s. I’m sure as hell going to do it in my 60s, too.

What age myths have you busted?

When I was in my 40s, This Morning dedicated an entire slot to, ‘How old is too old to wear a bikini?’ Well, I’ve been busting the myth that there’s an age limit ever since. It doesn’t matter what age you are: if you want to wear it, wear it. I actually bought my first thong bikini at 50!

You’ve become a fitness inspiration to many. Is that a surprise?

I still can’t quite believe it. I had a great moment the other day: I often offer strangers a lift in my car if it’s yucky weather, and this woman got in and gasped, ‘Oh, my gosh! You’re that fitness lady. I work out to you!’ She didn’t see me as a TV lady. It’s taken my career on a completely different path, but I love it.

What inspired your new fitness project, Own Your Goals?

I loved doing DVDS, but they feel old-fashioned now, so I wanted to do something more accessible… and stay relevant! You have to do that in any industry, right? There was nowhere online where you could get a full health and fitness programme, so I invited everyone I’d ever trained with and loved to work on it with me. It’s a real celebration of everything I’ve learned and the things people have liked. It’s a very exciting new chapter for me.

What are the goals you’ve achieved since turning 50?

Getting to 50 was quite an achievement in itself! When I reached that milestone, I decided it was my year to say yes to things I might normally not. I stuck to it and ended up going on a last-minute trip to Ibiza. I arrived at the airport and suddenly realised I had no idea where I was staying or what I was doing. For me, taking myself out of my comfort zone is not being organised, so that was scary for me. But it felt amazing to just let go a bit.

Would you ever take on a challenge like Strictly?

I’ve been asked to do it, but I haven’t said yes yet. Everyone talks about the ‘curse’ and I don’t reckon any of the male dancers could take me on in a relationship. I’m too much woman for any of those guys!

How has your attitude to your career changed?

I still have a huge drive to work, but less so to be famous. Before I got into telly, I was very focused on getting into the public eye because I felt like I had something to prove to my mum. Then I got there and realised it didn’t work. I wasn’t going to make her suddenly go, ‘Oh, I should have been there.’ My drive now is just to be great at what I do.

My drive now is just to be great at what I do

What is key to your diet and exercise regime?

Portion control and regular exercise. I’ll have a ton of butter on my crumpet in the morning, then balance it out by having a salad niçoise for lunch, and I’ll never fill my plate. I work out most days, but I always change it up: it might be a spin class one day and a power barre class the next. A spin class is total euphoria for me. It takes me back to the days where I’d dance like a maniac in clubs!

Do you have any body hang-ups?

Contrary to popular belief, I totally do. I’ll try on a pair of trousers that fitted me six months ago and think, ‘They don’t fit, I can’t bear it, I’ve put on loads of weight.’ Then I tell myself to shut up, do a bit of cardio, eat properly, it’ll come off, it’ll be fine. It’s much harder to lose the weight as you get older, though, I can tell you that.

How do you feel about ageing?

I feel better about it now than I ever have. You get to a point where you realise you can’t do anything about it, so why worry? My boobs are going down, my bum is going down and, admittedly, I went through a stage where every time I looked in the mirror, I’d think, ‘What would I look like if I had something done?’ But I’ve decided that changing and ageing is okay.

Would you ever consider cosmetic surgery?

I can’t tell you that in 20 years I won’t have something done, but my problem is that because I’m so thin in the face, I’d look really taut if I did. As I’ve aged, I’ve lost a lot of weight in my face. I get these holes in my cheeks, so people think I look gaunt, but it’s just my face. They say that as you get older, it’s your bum or your face. I think that’s quite true!

How do you look after your mental wellbeing?

When I was in Australia last year, I tried something called a floatation tank. You’re in a tank of salty water with the lid closed and lights out. For the first 10 minutes, you hear calming music, then silence for 45 minutes. The first time I did it, I went mad, like Apocalypse Now mad! I couldn’t stop the chatter in my head and came out crying hysterically. But I knew I had to do it again because I wanted to master the art of just allowing myself to stop for a minute. When I did, I felt amazing.

What have the challenging times taught you?

I’ve learned not to be afraid of emotional turmoil. Every time I go through it, I become more robust for the next time. Feelings aren’t facts, they come and go, and for every high I have, I know that at some point I’ll have a down day where things aren’t so great. But the great days wouldn’t be so great if I didn’t have those.

You have spoken movingly about losing your sister, Caroline. How did that change you?

She was only 50 when she died and it made me realise you should never coast. Go for the things you want because life is short. Do what you love, tell the people you love that you love them. Caroline is always with me; I talk to her all the time. There’s always stuff I want to tell her, especially anything to do with the royal family!

What sort of a mum are you to your kids?

I think the kids would say quite fun, but also embarrassing. The one thing I’m strict about is drinking. Mine aren’t allowed to drink at all before they’re 16, which is quite rare nowadays. They’ve done it at parties a couple of times, but I won’t let

them do it in the house because I’m still in recovery.

What about your fun side?

In my 30s, I spent a lot of time trying to be an ultra-responsible mother to three toddlers; it was exhausting. I was old before my time, and now I’m sort of regressing. They recently sent me a video of them dancing in the kitchen to some rap music, so I sent them one back of me trying to twerk to one of Stormzy’s songs. I still have to parent them, of course, but I remind myself to loosen up now and again.

What are your favourite family moments?

I love it when we’re all by the sea together. We go to the south of France every summer, come rain or shine, which is lovely. The only problem is, we have to eat in the beach hut or from the sandwich van down the road because the restaurants are so crazy expensive!

How do you let your hair down?

On the dancefloor: music is my mood-altering drug. When I go out with my friend Lynne, who’s a choreographer, we go mental and dance all night. My only rule is that I have to wear trainers. Wearing heels to a club is ridiculous behaviour!