Davina McCall makes brave career decision despite ongoing recovery from brain surgery

Davina McCall, in a show of remarkable resilience, has decided to keep her weekly podcast going while she recovers from brain surgery. The 57 year old host of 'My Mum, Your Dad' was determined not to let the discovery of a brain tumour disrupt the progress of her new podcast, 'Begin Again', which she launched last month.

Prior to her six-hour surgery on Friday, Davina had pre-recorded a full series of hour-long interviews to ensure that her podcast would continue to air every week during her recovery period.

Since its launch on October 9, Davina's cherished podcast has featured profound conversations with stars like Fearne Cotton, Paloma Faith, and Paul C Brunson. The podcast is designed to inspire listeners to view midlife as a time of significant transformation.

A source revealed Davina's unwavering commitment to her passion project, stating: "Begin Again is Davina's real passion project and there was absolutely no way she wanted its impact put on ice because of her surgery."

The source also confirmed that there will be no interruption in the podcast's schedule, saying: "There will be no break in the series run whilst she is out the spotlight. Davina made sure everything was pre-recorded and put in place so what she feels are important conversations can continue whilst she recovers," as reported by The Sun. , reports the Mirror.

Last week, it was announced that Davina had undergone urgent brain surgery. The 57 year old Masked Singer judge had an operation to remove a 14mm non-cancerous brain tumour, which was discovered during a health scan a few months ago while she was giving a talk for a menopause company.

In a video update shared on Friday, Davina asked her fans to keep her in their thoughts as her partner Michael Douglas takes over her social media during her recovery. Michael reassured fans that Davina is doing well but will be taking a break until she's fully recovered.

He wrote in the caption of the video: "Hey everyone. Michael here. @davinamccall will be "off grid" for a bit while she recovers from this brain operation. She is in great shape and in very good hands."

"I'll do the odd update from her account here for anyone interested. I'm sure she'll read all the comments when she's able to so feel free to send love. The support of people is amazingly powerful. Have a great day everyone. Michael xxx". In an emotional video, Davina told fans: "I was offered a health scan which I thought I was going to ace but it turned out I had benign brain tumour which is very rare, 'three in a million'."

In a pre-recorded message, the TV presenter revealed: "I'm posting this. It will be Friday morning, and I'm doing it because a few months ago, I did a menopause talk for a company, and they offered me a health scan in return, which I thought I was going to ace, but it turned out I had a benign brain tumour called a colloid cyst, which is very rare, three in a million."

"And so I slightly put my head in the sand for a while, and then I saw quite a few neuro surgeons. I got lots of opinions, and I realised that I have to get it taken out."

She explained that her "big" tumour at 14 mm wide needed removal to prevent serious growth and consequences.

Davina shared that she's set for a craniotomy, involving temporary skull removal, and requested thoughts from her audience: "Say a prayer for me. I'm in good spirits," she said. Acknowledging she'll be off her phone for recovery and asking not to worry, she conveyed optimism and trust in her medical team: "I'm going to be in hospital for about nine days, and then I'm going to be going home, but I'm going to be off my phone for a while. But I don't want you to worry about me. I'm doing that enough as it is. I am in a good space, and I have all the faith in the world in my surgeon and his team, and I am handing the reins over to him. He knows what he's doing," she concluded.

The NHS indicates that non-malignant brain tumours are more frequent in those above the age of 50, with potential symptoms like headaches, blackouts, and behavioural shifts.

The NHS explains a benign brain tumour as: "A benign (non-cancerous) brain tumour is a mass of cells that grows relatively slowly in the brain. Non-cancerous brain tumours tend to stay in one place and do not spread. It will not usually come back if all of the tumour can be safely removed during surgery. If the tumour cannot be completely removed, there's a risk it could grow back. In this case it'll be closely monitored using scans or treated with radiotherapy."

The former Big Brother host, known for her work presenting ITV dating show My Mum, Your Dad, is a vocal advocate for women's health issues and has presented documentaries on birth control and menopause.