DAVINA McCall has hailed Lorraine Kelly for encouraging people to “check their breasts” – after she bravely revealed her own cancer struggle.
Davina, 58, told fans she discovered a lump while “sitting on the loo” – after being urged to by posters put up by Lorraine.
The Masked Singer star shared her shock diagnosis at a Dine with Davina event yesterday, before posting an emotional video on Instagram today.
The crowd at the charity do – hosted at the Utilita Bowl in Southampton, Hampshire – gasped as she opened up on her quiet struggle.
Davina explained she made the discovery a few weeks ago, but has since had the lump removed and been given the all clear.
She will not undergo chemotherapy, but will be required to have five days of radiotherapy as a “insurance policy”.
Davina had spotted signs in the ITV Studios encouraging people to “check their boobs”, which had been put up by Lorraine.
In the video on social media, she said: “I was working on The Masked Singer and Lorraine, the TV show.
“Lorraine Kelly had put signs on the backs of all the doors saying ‘check your breasts’ and every time I went for a wee I did that.
“It was still there, and then one morning I saw myself in the mirror and thought ‘I’m going to get that looked at’.”
Speaking on stage, she said: “I went and I got it checked. She (the doctor) was like, ‘You’re fine. You had a mammogram in August. It’ll be fine’.
“And I thought, oh, I’ll be fine. That’s great. But then she said, ‘Oh, well, if it is anything, we’ll do a little biopsy’.
“‘But if it is anything, it’s so small, you’ve got it early’. Anyway, I got the result back a few days ago. It was four millimetres, which is minute.
“I had a biopsy. I found out it was indeed breast cancer and I had it taken out in a lumpectomy nearly three weeks ago.”
She said her fiance and hairdresser Michael Douglas, 52, encouraged her to open up about how she was feeling.
Davina continued: “Because when I got it I just started feeling much better – you and me got into a really good place.
“I got really f*****g angry. And you know me, I’m a pacifist – I don’t really get angry – I’m like Tigger. I’m just always happy.
“I was like: ‘Are you f******g joking? What the f**k! Are you serious?”
“I was keeping it all in and Michael one day looked at me and he said: ‘Stop. I can see what you’re doing.
“‘You’re not going there. He said: ‘Let’s talk about it – I said: ‘I’m fine.
“He said: ‘You’re not fine’. I was like: ‘No, no, I’m fine. Honestly. ‘I’m not f*****g fine, that’s why I’m f*****g mad.
“He just sat and he came and watched me and I was f*****g stamping my feet. And it felt so good.”
It comes almost a year after the mum-of-three underwent emergency surgery to remove a “very rare” brain tumour.
The Long Lost Family host initially broke the news to her followers in a heartwrenching video on Instagram.
Davina had asked for prayers before having the operation to get the 14mm benign tumour – called a colloid cyst – removed.
Davina previously said her operation to remove the benign tumour was “the best thing to ever happen to me”.
She admitted spiralling into denial after it was discovered by chance last year, but was spurred into action by surgeons.
Breaking down in tears at Fearne Cotton’s Happy Place Festival, Davina revealed doctors told her she would die if she didn’t act quickly.
Symptoms of breast cancer in women
Symptoms of breast cancer in women may include:
- a lump, or swelling in your breast, chest or armpit
- a change in the skin of your breast, such as dimpling (may look like orange peel) or redness (may be harder to see on black or brown skin)
- a change in size or shape of 1 or both breasts
- nipple discharge (if you are not pregnant or breastfeeding), which may have blood in it
- a change in the shape or look of your nipple, such as it turning inwards (inverted nipple) or a rash on it (may look like eczema)
- pain in your breast or armpit which does not go away – breast pain that comes and goes is usually not a symptom of breast cancer
It’s important to check your breasts regularly so you know what’s normal for you. This makes it easier to notice any changes in the size, look or feel of your breasts.
See a GP if:
- you have a lump or swelling in your breast, chest or armpit
- you have any changes in your breasts or nipples that are not normal for you
- you have pain in your breast or armpit that does not go away
She said: “I needed someone to tell me what to do, and my American doctor told me I should undergo surgery to have the tumour cut out.
“When I got the phone call, although it was a hard one to hear, I needed it.
“But after the operation, I was aware of a noise in my head, and they were thoughts. I realised I did not have that before.
“I am not afraid of dying anymore. It was the biggest journey of my life. It was an amazing time.”
Davina has since started her Begin Again podcast in an attempt to help others on their deathbed.
The show is dedicated to empowering people to embrace midlife as their most transformative era yet.