Davina McCall facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Davina McCall MBE
McCall around 2013
Born	Davina Lucy Pascale McCall (1967-10-16) 16 October 1967 (age 57) Wimbledon, London, England
Occupation	Television presenter
Years active	1992–present
Employer	ITV Channel 4 UKTV
Spouse(s)	Andrew Leggett ​ ​ (m. 1997; div. 1997)​ Matthew Robertson ​ ​ (m. 2000; separated 2017)​
Partner(s)	Michael Douglas (since 2017)
Children	3
Relatives	Célestin Hennion (great-grandfather)

Davina Lucy Pascale McCall (born 16 October 1967) is a famous English television presenter. She is known for hosting many popular TV shows. For Channel 4, she presented Streetmate, Big Brother, The Million Pound Drop, and The Jump.

For the ITV channel, she has hosted Long Lost Family and This Time Next Year. She also co-hosted the Comic Relief charity events for many years. Since 2020, she has been a popular judge on the fun singing competition The Masked Singer.

In 2023, Davina was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for her work in broadcasting. She also received a Special Recognition award at the 29th National Television Awards in 2024 for her amazing career.

Early Life

Davina Lucy Pascale McCall was born in Wimbledon, London. Her mother, Florence, was French, and her father, Andrew, was an English graphic designer. When she was three years old, her parents' marriage ended. She went to live with her grandparents in Surrey. Davina would visit her mother in France during the holidays.

Davina went to St Catherine's School in Bramley and later Godolphin and Latymer Girls School in London. She was a good student and earned nine O levels and two A levels.

Career Journey

Starting Out

Davina's first dream was to be a singer. She was in a band called Lazy Bear when she was in school. At 19, she tried to become a solo singer. When that didn't work out, she tried other jobs. She worked at a modeling agency and even ran a restaurant.

Her big break in television came in 1994. She was hired to be a presenter on Most Wanted on MTV Europe. After that, she began hosting more shows in the UK.

Famous TV Shows

Channel 4

In 1998, Davina started hosting a dating show called Streetmate. She would help single people find a date on the street.

Her most famous role came in 2000 when she began hosting Big Brother. In the show, a group of people called "housemates" lived together in a special house. They were filmed 24/7. Davina hosted the live shows where one person was voted out each week. She hosted the show for 10 years on Channel 4.

She also hosted other exciting shows for the channel. These included the game show The Million Pound Drop and the winter sports competition The Jump.

ITV

McCall at the British Academy Television Awards in April 2009

Davina has hosted many popular shows for ITV. Since 2011, she has co-hosted Long Lost Family with Nicky Campbell. The show helps people find family members they have lost contact with.

Since 2020, she has been a judge on the hit show The Masked Singer UK. On the show, celebrities sing while wearing amazing costumes, and the judges have to guess who is behind the mask. She was also a judge on the spin-off, The Masked Dancer UK.

BBC

Davina has worked with the BBC on many charity events. She helped co-host the Comic Relief and Sport Relief telethons. These events raise millions of pounds to help people in need.

She has also made two fun appearances in the TV show Doctor Who. In 2005, she was the voice of a robot called the Davinadroid. In 2023, she played herself in the Christmas special, "The Church on Ruby Road".

Other Work

Davina has done more than just present TV shows. She has released many fitness DVDs to help people stay active and healthy. She has also written books about healthy eating.

In 2022, she released a book about women's health called Menopausing. It was very successful and won Book of the Year at the British Book Awards in 2023.

In 2024, she launched a podcast called Begin Again. The show shares stories about people starting new chapters in their lives.

Personal Life

Davina is fluent in French because her mother was from France. She has three children: two daughters and a son. Since 2017, her partner has been Michael Douglas, a hairstylist.

In November 2024, Davina shared that she had been diagnosed with a rare, non-cancerous brain tumour called a colloid cyst. She had surgery to remove it and is now recovering at home. She said she feels "very lucky" and is getting plenty of rest.

Charity Work

Davina is known for her incredible charity work. In 2014, she took on a huge challenge for Sport Relief. It was called 'Davina – Beyond Breaking Point'. For seven days, she ran, swam, and cycled across the UK. She raised over £2.2 million for the charity.

Family History

In 2009, Davina appeared on the show Who Do You Think You Are? to learn about her family's past. She discovered that her great-grandfather was Célestin Hennion, a famous French police chief. He was involved in the Dreyfus affair, an important event in French history.

She also learned that her great-great-great-grandfather on her father's side was James Thomas Bedborough. He was a stonemason who worked on Windsor Castle.

Images for kids

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  Frisky & Mannish with Davina McCall

Filmography