She’s a TV presenter, fitness guru, best-selling author, documentarian, podcaster, influencer, mum and partner – Davina McCall does it all. The television star lives her life at 100 miles an hour, and even her downtime is filmed for Celebrity Gogglebox, in which she watches TV shows with her hairdresser boyfriend, Michael Douglas.
Davina’s fame and fortune is all down to her sheer force of personality, positivity and professionalism. But when she heard she was getting an MBE, the news was so overwhelming, she burst into tears. Now Davina – who is mum to Holly, 21, Tilly, 19, and Chester, 16 – is waiting to hear if she’ll travel to Buckingham Palace or Windsor Castle to receive her award. She’s wondering exactly what one wears to be made a Member of The Order of the British Empire, and if she can take Chester out of school for a big family day out.
If any of those essential factors is missing, Davina – who separated from her husband Matthew Robinson in 2017, after three children and 17 years of marriage – believes a relationship is irrevocably doomed. “Lots of people, when they’re dating in their youth, are thinking about things like: do we want a family? Do I want to have a baby with this person? Would they be a good father? I remember being in my late twenties and, with everybody I dated, I was like, ‘Is this the guy? Is he The One?’ There was an immense pressure to make someone ‘The One’.”
“You’re less embarrassed about talking about those things,” reasons Davina. “You can be a bit more honest about yourself, who you are, and what you want. Take me or leave me. It’s less pressured. After Davina’s parents, Florence and Andrew, split when she was just three years old, she was raised by her paternal grandmother, Pippy. Her father visited at weekends, and she spent summers in France with her mother. It was an unconventional childhood, and friends played an important role in her life.
Taking a pal like Sarah on holiday means every moment becomes a giggle. “Even getting the shopping from the supermarket becomes a joy if you’re with your bestie,” says Davina. “Everything is hilarious. We laugh all the time. It’s absolutely brilliant.”