Davina McCall says ordeal felt like 'Alzheimer's' after surgery
The 57-year-old TV personality and Big Brother legend discussed the memory loss she experienced following brain surgery
Davina McCall has shared a frightening experience she had following her brain surgery. The TV star discovered she had a rare 14-mm colloid cyst, which affects only three in every million people, during a chance health check in 2023.
Thankfully, the tumour was benign, and in 2024, Davina had neurosurgeon Kevin O'Neill successfully remove it. But in a new episode of her podcast, Begin Again, she revealed just how much it affected her memory and perception of everything around her.
In a conversation with Heart Radio DJ, Jamie Theakston, she said: "Can I tell you a weird thing? I understand a bit about [symptoms of dementia] because I woke up with no short-term memory, and it's come back very, very slowly over three months. And I struggled with all of those feelings when I was just out of hospital."
Jamie said: "Like an Alzheimer's," to which Davina replied: "Yeah, it was. I got paranoid. I got like, insecure. I didn't trust people that I love and trust. It was horrible, but I could feel it coming back. Rather than losing it.
"It gave me a new, well, obviously, you know, my dad died of Alzheimer's. It gave me a new appreciation for what he'd been through and for what your dad is going through now, and what it really feels like it, it's extraordinary."
Alzheimer's disease is a neurological condition that progressively impairs memory, cognitive abilities, and ultimately, the capacity to perform basic tasks. It is the most common form of dementia, which currently impacts more than 944,000 people in the UK.
Davina's father passed away from dementia in 2022, just six years after being diagnosed with Alzheimer's. Davina, 57, previously said that he had consistently been her rock and she'd always slightly 'hero-worshipped' him.
Speaking with the Alzheimer's Society in 2017 before he passed away, she said: "I've always slightly hero-worshipped him. So when he started saying funny things like, 'I took the overland train' and 'Call me when your work is less explosive', it didn't take us long to all come together and ask each other if we should be concerned.
"The psychologist that first assessed him said that he could have been affected for a while – but he is so clever that he had come up with strategies. That's my dad – see a problem, come up with a strategy." She added: "I have grieved the loss of my old dad."
Besides the temporary loss of her memory, Davina also lost a worrying four kilograms of muscle in the aftermath of her brain surgery. While it's been a long road to recovery, she now feels much stronger in her body and mind.
"I felt like my memory was coming back and I was feeling stronger in myself, in my mind," she recently told Women's Health. "But working on my body was going to be the last bit of joy to come back to my life."
Early red flags of dementia
Dementia can come in different forms, and each type can impact people in varying ways. However, a few common red flags usually appear during its onset.
According to the NHS, these are:
Finding it hard to carry out familiar daily tasks, such as getting confused over the correct change when shopping
Memory loss
Difficulty concentrating
Being confused about time and place
Mood changes
Struggling to follow a conversation or find the right word
Anyone concerned about their symptoms should seek guidance from a medical professional.
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Scottish Sun
8 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
It was worst pain of my life, says Kate Lawler after hospital dash on holiday in Greece uncovered health trauma
Find out the symptoms to look out for as the little-known condition affects 1.5million people in the UK... with Kate opening up on a life-changing procedure CRIPPLED BY AGONY It was worst pain of my life, says Kate Lawler after hospital dash on holiday in Greece uncovered health trauma Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) FOR five years, Kate Lawler battled debilitating stomach pain. But doctors repeatedly told the TV personality, 45, 'everything is fine', so she assumed it was nothing to worry about. 5 Kate Lawler battled debilitating stomach pain for years before being diagnosed with pelvic congestion syndrome (PCS) Credit: Rex 5 PCS is a little-known condition caused by hidden varicose veins around the ovaries and womb 5 Kate was treated with pelvic vein embolisation, saying the procedure changed her life Credit: Instagram It wasn't until she was rushed to hospital while on holiday in Greece that she began to suspect something serious might be wrong. But even then, it took numerous scans back home in the UK and several misdiagnoses for her to discover the truth. Kate, who won Big Brother in 2002, tells Sun on Sunday Health: 'My symptoms started in December 2017. 'The abdominal pain was worse than any pain I've ever had. 'It was crippling - sometimes too unbearable to even get out of bed - and it felt even worse during menstruation and sexual intercourse. 'It was a sharp, stabbing pain that would last from 10 seconds to several hours. 'Then we were on holiday in 2018 and I thought I had a serious hernia or something was wrong with me, to the point that I went to hospital. 'But doctors thought I was just going mad. They just said, 'You're fine,' and left it at that. 'I was made to believe it was simply caused by my hormones, or ovulation.' The mum-of-one, from London, visited her GP twice and was told it might be a hernia, and she believed it could also be endometriosis, but she wasn't offered a referral. The 5 causes of pain in the pelvis all women should know Desperate for answers, she visited a private gynaecologist in November 2021. 'She did internal scans and all the tests and said, 'Absolutely everything is fine',' Kate says. 'All she could tell me was that everything was clear, which was a relief. 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'Eventually your varicose veins and your legs can cause pain and discomfort and you can end up having ulcers, which my grandma had. 'Varicose veins and PCS are often interlinked. And once I'd had the test, it transpired that I had both.' 5 The condition affects around 1.5million people in the UK Credit: Getty The most common treatment for PCS is pelvic vein embolisation - a walk-in-walk-out procedure which involves placing tiny coils, thinner than human hair, inside the damaged veins under X-ray guidance. Kate says the procedure in November 2022 was 'uncomfortable but not painful' - and it has changed her life. 'Suffer in silence' 'I was holding a stress squeezer and cursed a few times, but once it was over it was amazing,' she says. 'I realised, 'God, I was in a lot of pain before'. I would wake up and immediately be in pain, and no amount of painkillers would get rid of it. 'I just learnt to live with it - though I didn't want to be on painkillers my whole life. 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The Sun
8 hours ago
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It was worst pain of my life, says Kate Lawler after hospital dash on holiday in Greece uncovered health trauma
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They just said, 'You're fine,' and left it at that. 'I was made to believe it was simply caused by my hormones, or ovulation.' The mum-of-one, from London, visited her GP twice and was told it might be a hernia, and she believed it could also be endometriosis, but she wasn't offered a referral. The 5 causes of pain in the pelvis all women should know Desperate for answers, she visited a private gynaecologist in November 2021. 'She did internal scans and all the tests and said, 'Absolutely everything is fine',' Kate says. 'All she could tell me was that everything was clear, which was a relief. 'But also, when you're told everything looks normal but you're still experiencing intense pain, you then start to think, 'Am I making this up in my head?' 'I didn't want to be a burden and keep going to the doctors, but I was so desperate to get it sorted. 'In the end I literally felt like I was going to have to live with the pain forever.' It was only during a chance conversation at a routine appointment for her varicose veins in August 2022 that she discovered she had pelvic congestion syndrome (PCS) - a little-known condition caused by hidden varicose veins around the ovaries and womb. It's most common in women aged 20 to 45 who have given birth more than once, as well as those with varicose veins, a family history of them, or polycystic ovary syndrome. Most patients experience dull, achy or heavy pain in their pelvis. It may feel worse at the end of the day, before or during your period, during or after sex, and when you stand or sit for long periods. Some people also need to use the toilet more urgently, or have pain when they pee. Most Brits have never heard of PCS, but it affects around 1.5million people in the UK. 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'There needs to be more money and awareness so that when a woman goes to the GP in pain, it's not brushed aside.' Despite the challenges, Kate is urging women not to be shy about asking for help or thinking they're making a fuss. 'No woman should suffer in silence,' she says. Dr Sophie Strong, consultant gynaecologist at The Whiteley Clinic, adds: 'A lot of the women we see will have been suffering from pelvic pain for many years but their conditions will remain undiagnosed. 'Our new Pelvic Pain Clinic is a place for women who have been told there's no hope and there's nothing that can be done for them. We can make a real difference.'
Rhyl Journal
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- Rhyl Journal
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