DAVINA MCCALL: AT 53, I AM SO MUCH FITTER THAN I WAS IN MY 20S

At 53, Davina McCall is a fitness powerhouse. The TV presenter and mother-ofthree has transformed her physique in recent years, launching her own fitness platform Own Your Goals Davina, as well as sugar-free cookbooks and workout DVDs.

But wellness wasn’t always top of her agenda, and early on in her career, in her 20s, McCall admits a poor diet and lack of exercise put her health at risk.

High cholesterol is believed to affect around six in 10 adults in the UK, but despite this, awareness about it is generally low. Looking back, McCall says she believes her high-fat diet was the main culprit, although genetics likely had a part to play too, as there’s a history of high cholesterol in her family.

“Back then, I would refer to myself as a ‘butter fiend’, as butter and sugar would be my absolute guilty pleasure,” she says. “And with being halfFrench, processed meats such as salami were also something I devoured on a regular basis.

“I now understand the fat content in salami is just horrific, and so that is something I’ve really dialled back on and see more as a treat now. White pasta and white bread were also things I always had in my cupboards. I never really thought to make the switch to wholemeal, as at the time, I didn’t think it would make much difference to my health.”

McCall says part of the reason she was caught short by her cholesterol diagnosis was because she was in the dark about her family history. “Since then, things have changed, and we can now identify health issues through hereditary causes and the stigma of talking about health issues has definitely faded, which is a great thing.

“After I overcame my addiction issues (a heroin dependency) in my early 20s and quit smoking at 25, I naturally became much more health-conscious – but of course in hindsight, you always think you could have done more to live a healthier life.”

So, if she could give her younger self some health advice, what would it be? “I think I would tell my younger self, ‘Do what you’re doing, just bear in mind that you will pay a price for the decisions and lifestyle choices you make now in the long run’. I think that’s generally sound advice for people in their 20s.”

■ Davina McCall is supporting Raisio Nutrition Ltd’s Cholesterol Uncovered campaign, to encourage people to reconsider their diet and lifestyle choices by highlighting what’s happening under the surface. Visit raisio.com/en/cholesterol-uncovered.