Davina McCall describes "advanced Alzheimer's" symptoms after brain tumour surgery
On the Mad, Sad and Bad podcast, Davina McCall said memory loss after surgery to remove a benign brain tumour was like "advanced Alzheimer's", and that music and singing lessons helped recovery.
1 / 2
The story, neutrally told
Mixed · 2TV presenter Davina McCall, 58, said that after surgery to remove a benign brain tumour, Davina had symptoms like "advanced Alzheimer's" and "couldn't remember anything". Daily MailR “After I'd had my brain tumor taken out, I had advanced Alzheimer's.” Read at Daily Mail ↗ Digital SpyN “After I'd had my brain tumour taken out, I had advanced Alzheimer's, so I couldn't remember anything,” Read at Digital Spy ↗ Mixed · 2Davina spoke to Paloma Faith on the Mad, Sad and Bad podcast, and the Daily Mail reported it as recorded this week. Daily MailR “appearing on the Mad, Sad and Bad podcast with Paloma Faith this week” Read at Daily Mail ↗ Digital SpyN “Speaking to Paloma Faith on the Mad Sad Bad podcast” Read at Digital Spy ↗ Mixed · 2Davina said that on waking from the operation, Davina did not know there had been one, and could not give staff who asked it their name; Davina's partner Michael Douglas would visit for two hours, leave the room briefly, and on returning be greeted as if Davina had not known Douglas had been there. Digital SpyN “When I came out of the operation, I didn't know I'd had an operation,” Read at Digital Spy ↗ Daily MailR “Michael would come and visit for two hours and he'd go to the loo and come back an I'd go "oh my god you're here" and I didn't know he'd been there.” Read at Daily Mail ↗
Right · 1Davina said watching a film was impossible for six months because Davina could not remember what had happened 15 minutes earlier, and could not recall the previous page of a book. Daily MailR “I couldn't watch a movie for six months, because I couldn't remember what had happened in the movie 15 minutes before.” Read at Daily Mail ↗ Mixed · 2Davina called 2025 the "hardest year" for both Davina and Douglas, and credited music, including singing lessons, as a "mind physio" that "healed" Davina; last October was the first morning Davina remembered the previous day. Digital SpyN “Music was what healed me. And last October was the first time I woke up” Read at Digital Spy ↗ Daily MailR “I did singing lessons. Music. That was my mind physio.” Read at Daily Mail ↗ Mixed · 2Davina, best known for Big Brother and The Masked Singer UK, had the tumour removed in 2024; Digital Spy says the diagnosis was announced in November 2024, and both outlets report a later breast cancer diagnosis. Digital SpyN “revealed in November 2024 that she had been diagnosed with a benign brain tumour” Read at Digital Spy ↗ Daily MailR “Davina had surgery to remove the benign (non-cancerous) tumour in 2024, before being diagnosed with breast cancer the following year.” Read at Daily Mail ↗
Mixed · 2Digital Spy quotes Davina saying Davina was relieved the breast cancer had been removed and had not spread, with five days of radiotherapy planned for January; the Daily Mail adds that comedian Peter Kay privately supported Davina through both diagnoses. Digital SpyN “I'm so relieved to have had it removed and to know that it hasn't spread,” Read at Digital Spy ↗ Daily MailR “she was privately supported by comedian Peter Kay after being diagnosed with her brain tumour and breast cancer” Read at Daily Mail ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.
Left0 outlets
No left outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
Centre1 outlet
- Framing
- Concise report that puts 'advanced Alzheimer's' in quotation marks and frames the period as one of the most difficult of McCall's life.
- Emphasis
- Recovery process, music as healing, and the timeline of diagnosis and cancer treatment; ends with NHS and Alzheimer's Society resources.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Leaves out the Peter Kay support and the detail of six months without films.
- Charged language
- “hardest year”
- For example
-
“More information about Alzheimer's is available on the NHS and Alzheimer's Society websites.” — Digital Spy
Right1 outlet
- Framing
- Leads with the Alzheimer's comparison as a personal revelation, with a long run of McCall quotes and added material on Peter Kay's support.
- Emphasis
- Memory-loss anecdotes, the six months without films, and the Peter Kay friendship.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Does not note that 'Alzheimer's' was McCall's own description rather than a diagnosis, or give Alzheimer's support resources.
- Charged language
- “reveals”“double bout of bad news”
- For example
-
“Davina McCall has revealed she had advanced Alzheimer's symptoms after her surgery to remove her brain tumour and suffered months of memory loss” — Daily Mail
What every side reports
- Davina McCall made the remarks on the Mad, Sad and Bad podcast with Paloma Faith.
- McCall said Davina had 'advanced Alzheimer's' symptoms after a benign brain tumour was removed, and called 2025 the hardest year.
- McCall credited music as 'mind physio' and said memory returned last October.
- McCall also had a breast cancer diagnosis.
Where accounts differ
-
Timing of the breast cancer diagnosis relative to the brain surgery
- Centre
- Digital Spy says McCall shared in November that treatment followed a breast cancer diagnosis 'earlier in the year', after the brain tumour operation.
- Right
- The Daily Mail says the breast cancer was diagnosed the year after the 2024 surgery.
Davina McCall person
Describes severe post-operative memory loss as like advanced Alzheimer's, a very hard year, and recovery helped by music.
“Music was what healed me.” — Digital Spy
“So 2025 was the hardest year of Michaels and my lives.” — Daily Mail
Paloma Faith person
Host who interviewed McCall and prompted the account of memory loss.
“Paloma asked her: 'You couldn't remember anything from when to when.'” — Daily Mail
Left0 articles
No coverage yet.
Centre1 article
-
Davina McCall had "advanced Alzheimer's" symptoms following brain tumour operation in "hardest year"
Neutral Brief report quoting McCall, adding timeline context and health information resources.
Right1 article
-
Sympathetic Celebrity revelation story with extended quotes and the Peter Kay support angle.
- 13 Oct 14:54 First Daily MailR Davina McCall reveals she suffered the symptoms of 'advanced Alzheimer's' and 'couldn't remember anything' after her brain surgery
- 13 Oct 22:25 +7h 31m Digital SpyN Davina McCall had "advanced Alzheimer's" symptoms following brain tumour operation in "hardest year"
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.
Ask about this story
Loading…