Comic Relief host Davina McCall has opened up about her health journey, announcing she’s working a four-day week to ‘take more care’ of herself
Comic Relief host Davina McCall has opened up about her health journey, announcing she’s working a four-day week to ‘take more care’ of herself
Dan Laurie Deputy Editor of Screen Time
11:20, 20 Mar 2026
Comic Relief host Davina McCall has disclosed her intention to prioritise self-care following two health scares.
The 58-year-old presenter is back on our screens tonight (Friday, March 20) to lead the evening of fundraising, joined by Katherine Ryan, Nick Mohammed, Joel Dommett and Catherine Tate (reprising her role as Nan from The Catherine Tate Show).
In recent months, she’s chosen to step away from full-time work in order to “de-stress”.
The mother of three was diagnosed with a rare 14mm colloid cyst in her brain in 2024, discovered during a health check-up related to her advocacy for menopause awareness.
She underwent surgery and spent time in intensive care, later acknowledging that it led to memory issues and frustration over loss of control, reports the Mirror.
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Almost a year after her operation for a benign brain tumour, Davina revealed in November 2025 that she had undergone surgery for a small, early-stage breast cancer tumour, sharing the news on Instagram.
The Masked Singer star detected a lump in her breast during a self-examination and sought medical advice.
At the time, she said “It was very, very small, so I got it very, very early which is incredibly lucky. But I am so relieved to have had it removed and to know that it hasn’t spread.”
During her guest appearance on the Miss Me? podcast, Davina shared with hosts Jordan Stephens and Miquita Oliver: “Change is something that all my life, I spent running away from. I absolutely hated it.
“Change was something that really frightened me. I always loved the status quo, knowing what I was doing and feeling safe in that.”
Speaking about her past struggles with heroin and alcohol, she went on: “I had an amazing breakthrough when I got clean in the early nineties. I had another huge breakthrough after I had my brain tumour removed. I realised that I needed to de-stress my life.
“Interestingly, I realised that but then the breast cancer, which I thought was a very, very frightening thing, made me realise that I really, really had to put that into place. And I have now.
“I’m going to work a four-day week. I feel so much better now about my life and trying to get it more balanced. I want to take more care of myself. That is my latest project: me, because I can’t take care of anyone else if I’m not okay.”
Comic Relief airs on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Friday, March 20 from 7pm
