Davina McCall has opened up about her experience with a brain tumour, that led to short-term memory loss. The 57-year-old presenter revealed that she was diagnosed with a rare benign tumour, known as a colloid cyst, during a routine health check-up back in November.
Five months on from the removal of the cyst, Davina said she is still "rebuilding" herself. She shared: "It's been interesting, short-term memory loss is a really weird one.
"I've had basically Alzheimer's in return, I was like a very advanced Alzheimer's patient who could feel herself getting better every day." Alongside memory loss, Davina also lost fat and muscle, due to being mostly bedridden for up to three months following surgery.
The former Big Brother host discussed her experiences on her podcast Begin Again, where she was joined by chartered psychologist and brain health expert, Kimberley Wilson. During their conversation, Kimberley highlighted the importance of fat in some cases regarding health.
"We think that [for] older women who have a little bit more body fat, it will protect them from falls and frailty and that sort of stuff," she explained. Relating to this point, Davina added: "What I've just been through, I was basically in bed for two and a half [to] three months.
"I lost so much muscle and fat, I'm literally eating enormous quantities to try and get back, but it's very hard when you're older. So, thank god I had a little bit of buffer, not loads but enough, and I'm rebuilding again.
"It is true, you never know when something is going to happen and when you need that."
In the aftermath of her surgery in November, Davina also highlighted that sleep had been essential for recovery. Speaking in an Instagram video, she expressed her gratitude for her partner Michael Douglas and stepmum Gaby for caring for her.
"My short term memory is really improving a lot every day, and it has been an example to me on how much sleep helps me recover from everything," she explained.
"So if I feel a bit confused or I'm struggling to kind of concentrate, I just go to sleep and I wake up completely renewed and refreshed, so I know that my brain needs lots of sleep, and [I] just wanted to thank you all for your ongoing support, thanks so much."
What is a colloid cyst?
A colloid cyst is described by The Brain Tumour Charity as a non-cancerous fluid-filled growth in the brain, typically seen in people over 30.
The growth is usually located near the centre of the brain and is filled with fluid, almost like a water balloon.
What are the symptoms?
The charity says that while many people with these cysts experience no symptoms, some can experience the likes of headaches, dizziness, memory issues, and vision problems.
They add that brain tumours can cause memory loss or memory difficulties, this can be down to the tumour affecting the brain or possibly because of the tumour’s treatment.
Davina said she initially dismissed symptoms such as brain fog, as this is also common through menopause.
According to the NHS, symptoms of a brain tumour can vary depending on the exact part of the brain that is affected.
Common symptoms include; headaches, seizures (fits), persistently feeling sick (nausea), being sick (vomiting) and drowsiness, mental or behavioural changes, such as memory problems,
progressive weakness or paralysis on one side of the body and/or vision or speech problems.
The health website advises seeing a GP if you have any of these types of symptoms, particularly if you have a headache that feels different from the type of headache you usually get, or if headaches are getting worse.
Story Saved
You can find this story in My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.
