Davina McCall credits her 'amazing rock' in poignant statement after brain tumour surgery

Davina McCall, who used to present Big Brother, says she is "on the mend" and feeling "really lucky", after surgery for the benign brain tumour one wee ago

TV presenter Davina McCall has credited her artist stepmother Gaby as her "amazing rock" as she recovers from brain tumour surgery.

The former Big Brother host, 57, said the wife of her late father Andrew has been her "stabilising" force throughout her journey with ill health. In a heartfelt Instagram update, Davina shared her gratitude for Gaby and stepmothers in general, describing her as "an amazing rock" and affectionately calling her "a big dose of vitamin G."

Speaking in the video message filmed from her bed, she said: "I'm being brilliantly looked after by Michael and my mum. I'd quickly like to say big up the step-mums. I don't really say thank you to Gaby enough. She's been an amazing rock my whole life."

The presenter, of Wimbledon, southwest London, continued: 'I was talking yesterday to somebody, I said I've got a massive dose of vitamin G. I think when something like this happens I just feel so grateful. I've always been grateful, I've been really lucky in my life.

"But I feel unbelievably grateful right now. So thanks for everything all of you. I'm on the mend, I'm resting, I'm sleeping loads and I feel really good. I just feel very lucky."

Gaby, who is an artist from west London, came into Davina and her late older sister Caroline's lives after she met their dad Andrew when Davina was aged six. One friend of the star said: "Gaby and Davina are so close, it is lovely. Davina feels so blessed.

"Gaby is always there for her, they are super close. Not only was she there for Davina as an adult but she was there from when she was a teenage girl."

They have remained close since Andrew's death in 2022 and Davina calls Gaby mum. Davina, who hosts Long Lost Family, has long been full of praise for Gaby - who she calls Gabba. In 2019, she celebrated her stepmother's support, praising her for stepping into a maternal role during her troubled childhood.

And now Davina, who has three children herself, says she appreciates Gaby more than ever, having undergone her brain operation. Davina, who found out about her colloid cyst after she was offered a health check-up as part of her menopause advocacy work, spent time in intensive care after the procedure to remove the mass.

In a previous Instagram video, she said she wanted to share "an enormous, heartfelt thank you to everybody who's messaged me or been in touch", adding it "meant the world".

According to the NHS, non-cancerous brain tumours are more common in people over the age of 50, and symptoms include headaches, blackouts, behavioural changes and loss of consciousness. Davina has long advocated on women's health issues, and presented documentaries on contraception and the menopause.

She has also raised money for Cancer Research UK by running the Race For Life, in honour of her sister Caroline Baday, who died from lung cancer in 2012 at the age of 50.