Davina McCall facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Davina McCall MBE
Davina McCall in 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 well-known English television presenter. She is famous for hosting many popular TV shows.

She was the main presenter of the reality show Big Brother on Channel 4 from 2000 to 2010. Davina also hosted Streetmate, The Million Pound Drop, and The Jump. On ITV, she has presented shows like Long Lost Family and This Time Next Year.

Davina was also a regular co-presenter for the Comic Relief charity events from 2005 to 2015. From 2010 to 2014, she hosted the dance competition Got to Dance on Sky One. Since 2020, she has been a judge on the popular music show The Masked Singer on ITV.

In 2023, Davina was given an award called the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for her work in broadcasting. In 2024, she received a special award at the 29th National Television Awards.

Early Life and Education

Davina Lucy Pascale McCall was born on 16 October 1967 in Wimbledon, London. Her mother was French, and her father, Andrew McCall, was a graphic designer.

When Davina was three years old, her parents separated. She then went to live with her grandparents in Surrey. Her mother moved back to Paris, and Davina would visit her during holidays.

Davina attended two private schools: St Catherine's School, Bramley in Surrey and Godolphin and Latymer Girls School in Hammersmith, West London. She studied for nine O levels and two A levels in secondary school.

Davina's Career Journey

Davina McCall's career started in a surprising way. She first tried to become a singer, even performing in a band called Lazy Bear while still at school. By age 19, she wanted to be a professional classical singer and took vocal lessons.

When singing didn't work out, Davina took different jobs. She worked at a modeling agency, managed a restaurant, and even performed briefly in Paris. When she returned to London, she worked as a hostess in nightclubs. She even appeared as a dancer in Kylie Minogue's music video for "Word Is Out" in 1991.

In 1994, Davina got her first big break as a presenter on Most Wanted for MTV Europe. She also presented Hitlist UK. In 1995, she hosted the late-night game show God's Gift on ITV.

Working at Channel 4

In 1998, Davina became the host of the popular dating show Streetmate. On the show, she traveled around the country helping single people find dates. It was shown on Channel 4 from 1998 to 2001.

Davina was chosen to present the very first series of Big Brother. This reality show featured people living together in a house, with cameras filming their every move. Davina hosted the weekly live eviction shows, where one contestant would leave. She also hosted Celebrity Big Brother, which featured famous people.

Davina hosted Big Brother for many years. She also presented Big Brother's Big Mouth, a show that discussed what happened in the Big Brother house. In 2010, Channel 4 decided to stop broadcasting Big Brother. Davina hosted the final regular series and a special show called Ultimate Big Brother, which brought back popular past contestants.

After leaving Big Brother, Davina continued to host other shows. She presented a game show called The Million Pound Drop, where contestants could win a lot of money by answering questions. She also co-hosted Stand Up to Cancer, a charity event that raises money for cancer research.

From 2014 to 2017, Davina presented The Jump, a reality competition where celebrities learned winter sports like skiing and snowboarding.

Shows on Sky

Davina also worked for Sky1. She co-presented Prickly Heat.

In 2009, Davina started hosting Got to Dance, a reality show where dancers competed. The show ran for five series until 2014. In 2015, she presented One Hundred and Eighty, a game show about darts.

Presenting for ITV

Davina McCall at the BAFTA Awards in 2009

Davina has hosted many shows for ITV. In 1999, she co-presented Birthrace 2000, which followed couples trying to have the first baby of the new millennium. She also co-presented Don't Try This at Home for four series.

Other ITV shows Davina hosted include Popstars: The Rivals and The Vault in 2002. She also hosted the British Academy Television Awards in 2004 and 2006.

In 2011, Davina began hosting The Biggest Loser, a show where contestants tried to lose weight. She also started hosting Long Lost Family with Nicky Campbell, a show that helps people find their missing relatives. Long Lost Family is still on air today.

From 2016 to 2019, Davina presented This Time Next Year, a show where people made big life promises they hoped to achieve in a year. She has also been a guest presenter on This Morning and The Nightly Show.

In 2019, Davina became a judge on The Masked Singer, a popular show where celebrities sing in costumes, and the judges try to guess who they are. She also became a judge on its spin-off show, The Masked Dancer UK.

Work for the BBC

Davina has been a co-presenter for Comic Relief since 2005. This is a big charity event on BBC One that raises money for good causes. She has appeared on many related Comic Relief shows over the years.

In 2005, Davina had a small voice role in the Doctor Who episode "Bad Wolf" as a robot called Davinadroid. In 2023, she appeared again in a Doctor Who Christmas special as a fictional version of herself.

Other TV Work

From 2017, Davina presented her own show called The Davina Hour on the W channel.

In October 2024, Davina announced she was starting her own podcast called Begin Again. This podcast celebrates new beginnings and shares stories of growth and rediscovery, especially for people in midlife.

Other Projects

In 2001, Davina appeared in a sitcom called Sam's Game.

In 2014, Davina was one of many public figures who signed a letter to The Guardian newspaper. The letter expressed hope that Scotland would remain part of the United Kingdom in their independence vote.

In 2022, Davina released a book called Menopausing, which won Book of the Year at the British Book Awards in 2023. She has also released several fitness DVDs since 2004 and written books about a sugar-free diet.

Personal Life

Davina McCall was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2023 for her services to broadcasting.

Family Life

Davina is fluent in French because her mother is French.

She was married to Andrew Leggett in 1997. In 2000, Davina married her second husband, Matthew Robertson, who was also a TV presenter. They had three children together: two daughters and a son. They separated in 2017.

In 2022, Davina moved in with her partner, Michael Douglas, who is a hairstylist. They had been dating for five years.

Family History

Davina's family history was explored in a 2009 episode of Who Do You Think You Are?. She learned that her great-grandfather was Célestin Hennion (1862–1915), who was once a Prefect of Police in France. She also found out that her great-great-great-grandfather, James Thomas Bedborough, was a stonemason who worked on Windsor Castle.

Charity Work

In February 2014, Davina took on a big challenge for Sport Relief, a UK charity. She ran, swam, or cycled for seven days across the UK to raise money. This challenge was filmed for a BBC documentary. During the live telethon, it was announced that Davina had raised over £2.2 million for Sport Relief 2014.

Health Update

In November 2024, Davina McCall shared that she had been diagnosed with a colloid cyst, which is a rare type of non-cancerous brain tumour. She had surgery on 15 November. Davina later said she was recovering well at home, resting and sleeping a lot, and felt very lucky. She mentioned she was having some short-term memory issues after the surgery.

Television Appearances

Guest Appearances

Fitness DVDs

Images for kids

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  Frisky & Mannish with Davina McCall