Davina Mccall
TV presenter Davina Mccall opens up about finding new love, surviving divorce and living her best life at 52
If you ever wanted proof that your 50s really are the new 30s, look no further than Davina Mccall. At 52 she looks sensational, with an ageless glow that explains exactly why she’s Garnier’s longest serving celebrity ambassador.
Davina, who’s been on our tellies since the nineties, is one of those stars who is just as friendly and fun in real life as she seems on screen. The mum-of-three is refreshingly candid about her struggles, from divorce to the menopause, but when we catch up with her for a chat she’s mostly buzzing with happiness.
And it’s no wonder, with her career going from strength to strength and a new love in her life. She’s dating her best friend of 20 years, hairdresser Michael Douglas, and although they are keeping it low-key they recently started a podcast together.
Here, Davina talks about family life, why she’ll eventually embrace cosmetic surgery and the secret behind her rejuvenated career…
Hi Davina! You’re certainly flying the flag for women in their 50s… When I was a kid, women in their 50s looked like they were in their 70s. It was like, “I’ve shut up shop.” It could not be further from the truth now. I’m really proud of being 52. I feel like I’m quite good fun still, and I look good for a bird my age. So I owe it to anybody under 40 to live my best life and show them it’s all going to be OK.
You’ve been through some tough times lately. How have you coped?
The divorce was hard. But in comparison to what I’ve been through in my life, like Caroline dying [Davina’s sister passed away from cancer in 2012], nothing can be as bad as that. you always hear it takes two years from when you split up to when you start feeling better. now Matthew and I go out for lunch with the kids. It’s miles better. We both want to be the couple who can be invited to the wedding or graduation of our kids, and sit down and watch them do something amazing.
Have you managed to salvage a friendship?
I think we’re both trying and I really appreciate that. We’ve always said the kids come first. I would hate for them to think, “We can’t ask Dad to come to something because we’ve asked Mum.” That would be my worst nightmare.
Have your kids been a big support to you?
My oldest one [Holly, 18] wants to be a support. I’ll say, “you don’t need to do this. I’m your mum, you don’t need to mother me.” But she’s a real mother hen – she looks after everybody.
You’ve chosen to keep your new relationship private...
neither of us want to shove it down anybody else’s throat. Firstly, it’s nauseating for our kids to listen to any of that stuff, and it’s a bit weird for our ex-partners, the parents of our children. It’s not right to wax lyrical about somebody else, and it’s all still relatively new. But we’re happy.
You’re doing a podcast, Making The Cut, together…
It’s just two best friends reviewing stuff. We’re not flirting, it’s just us doing what we’ve done for 20 years in the hair and make-up room. We’ve always shared information – products, shows, parenting tips, anything. It’s so funny how we’ve influenced each other’s lives for so long. We always used to say, “We should do this on telly!” now podcasts have come along and one day we just said, “let’s just review stuff and see what happens.” At the end of each podcast, I think, “God, how lucky are we that we get to do this together?”
Do you feel like you’re starting a new chapter in life?
I feel like the start of it was when I went on a girls’ holiday and did a picture of myself topless, in a thong bikini, with my arms up in my air. I thought “This is going to be my press the f**k it button era. This is going to be my decade of not giving a damn and just going for it.” I think there’s a weird freedom that comes with wrinkles and getting older. I’ve got nothing to lose.
Many women seem to struggle with this time of life, though...
The menopause is a huge turning point. I started the perimenopause when I was 44 and for a couple of years it was really tough. I thought I’d lost the plot. My keys were in the fridge, my phone was in the bin. It was like somebody had laid a blanket over my brain. normally I’m as sharp as a knife, but I was finding it really hard to read autocues and I thought, “I’m going to lose my job if I don’t get my shit together.” In the end I saw a gynaecologist, who talked me