The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Big night in with Davina
It was impossible not to be moved in some way by the powerful words spoken by Davina McCall at Aberdeen’s Music Hall.
From the heartbreak and destruction of drug addiction and the complicated relationship with her late mum to finding happiness with her partner Michael and becoming a menopause campaigner; no topic was off the table during Thursday’s sell-out event.
Hosted by BBC Scotland presenter Fiona Stalker in a Q&A style format, Davina connected with the audience in a unique way as she bared her soul about deeply personal issues and, without being preachy, the lessons they taught her.
“Out of anything bad, we can learn something,” Davina told the audience.
One poignant moment that moved some in the audience to tears was when she spoke lovingly about her best friend who helped her to overcome a drug addiction.
Years later, while in recovery, Davina spoke of the shock when she discovered the same friend was in the throes of addiction herself, and how she supported her through it.
Reflecting on those dark times and how she came through them, Davina says
it was about finding her passion and relentlessly pursuing it, revealing that she hassled the bosses at MTV for three years before she finally got her foot in the door of the TV industry.
Lighter moments in the night came when she laughed about coming up to Aberdeen in the 1990s to film Streetmate, a dating show on Channel 4.
When the female contestant said she was
looking for a date with a firefighter, Davina found an unsuspecting man in HMV who, by sheer coincidence, was an off-duty firefighter add who proceeded to give her a fireman’s lift in the middle of Union Street.
Forever indebted to Streetmate, Davina says it was that TV show that led to Big Brother.
Describing it as a “scary moment” when she left Big Brother after 11 years,
Davina said she never expected further jobs to come her way and instead went back to what she’s done throughout her life: “hustle”.
“I’ve never expected things to come to me,” said Davina.
“I always just keep walking forward.”
Towards the end of the night, Davina talked to the mainly female audience about the perimenopause
and the menopause, and why she is so passionate about raising as much awareness about it as she can.
Wrapping up the talk, which was organised by Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce and TotalEnergies, Fiona asked Davina what she would tell her younger self.
“It’s all going to be OK,” she responded. “I do believe that.”