The Masked Singer Davina McCall's life – Big Brother, addiction battle and co-host romance

TV presenter Davina McCall is one of the celebrity panel currently trying to guess the identities of the characters on The Masked Singer.

Along with Jonathan Ross, Rita Ora and Mo Gilligan, Davina has become one of the faces of the popular ITV programme, which has unmasked huge stars including Gloria Hunniford, Heather Small and Will Young so far this series.

Before The Masked Singer, Davina McCall rose to fame on some of the UK’s biggest TV programmes including Big Brother and even voiced an android version of herself in a 2005 episode of Doctor Who.

However, her life has also included a battle with drug addiction, a romance with a fellow podcast presenter and becoming a popular fitness guru.

MTV fame, Big Brother success and talk show flop

Davina McCall is one of TV’s most familiar faces, but before she presented The Masked Singer, the star rose to fame as a host on MTV in the early nineties.

She presented a number of programmes for the channel including Most Wanted and The Hitlist, with celebrity guests even including The Muppets.

Davina even made a cameo appearance in a Kylie Minogue music video for the song, The Word Is Out in 1991, wearing a beret and striped sweater.

After that, it was onwards and upwards, with Davina becoming a household name presenting Channel 4 programme Big Brother and its celebrity spin off, as well as reality TV shows including The Jump, The Biggest Loser and Got To Dance.

In 2006, the presenter was also given her own primetime talk show called Davina, but it was axed in the same year after it failed to attract audiences and was not critically well received.

However, she has since become a regular presenter on the BBC’s charity programme Comic Relief, as well as hosting the British Academy Television Awards for two years between 2004-2006.

The host is also currently part of the celebrity panel on ITV programme The Masked Singer, as well as presenting popular series Long Lost Family.

Big Brother Twitter spat

One of Davina McCall’s most memorable presenting roles was on Big Brother, alongside former contestant Brian Dowling, and later Rylan and Emma Willis.

However in 2020, former Big Brother contestant and host Brian Dowling hit out at Davina McCall after she posted a tweet about the TV programme, Best Shows Ever featuring Big Brother.

Brian, who hosted six series of Big Brother between 2011-2013, had released a statement earlier that week saying that he felt “hurt and upset” that he wasn’t referenced as one of the hosts in the programme.

Davina McCall later posted a tweet, saying: “Just an FYI we did ask @Brianofficial to be part of the show. He was ultimate housemate!!!! it was a no brainer.”

However, Brian responded to Davina in a lengthy and emotional statement on social media, saying: “I’m really sad that you have again posted something today which continues to fan the flames of this on social media and in the press.

“On Thursday morning I posted a video on Instagram saying that I was hurt and upset that I wasn’t referenced at all as a host of Big Brother in the chat between all the presenters, and how this plays into my general treatment by the production company since they fired me.”

He then went on to address Davina’s tweet, saying: “Why did you feel that it was appropriate to post that?

“Even if you were being asked then surely you would be well aware that it would make me look bad and incite bad comments about me, when you had no idea why I might have declined to take part?”

Brian went on to explain in his post that the reason he turned down the opportunity to appear in the show, adding: “I did not turn down filming a 10-second clip as an insult to you or Rylan. I said no because it once again highlighted how I am treated by the producers of this show and it triggered lots of mental health issues for me yet again.

“When I was fired I was hurt, upset and publicly humiliated. My mental health and confidence has suffered terribly for the last seven years because of that and other events that occurred whilst I was the host.”

However within his statement, he also said that he respected Davina, Rylan and Emma Willis, who had taken over hosting the show, saying: “This was not a personal attack on you, Rylan or Emma at all because as far as I’m aware you do not make or edit the show and I’m a huge fan of all of you as presenters.”

Co-host romance

As well as being a TV presenter, Davina hosts a popular podcast called Making The Cut with her boyfriend Michael Douglas.

Michael was Davina’s celebrity hairdresser for over 20 years, before the couple confirmed that they were in a relationship in 2019 after being spotted together at the premiere of the film Yesterday.

Speaking about working with Michael, Davina told The Mirror: “I love doing the podcast with him. It’s basically an extension of what we’ve always done as friends, which is recommend things to each other.”

“Even if we didn’t make any money – which we haven’t really, yet – we would still do it just because we love it. People also seem to really love it. But I guess that is the most public thing we do together.”

Fans were also delighted recently when Davina and Michael posted that they were making a second series of the podcast, with many listeners saying that the duo were ‘couple goals’.

One fan took to social media to say, “The way you look at each other,” followed by heart-eye emojis, with a second adding “Such a gorgeous couple.”

A third commented that Davina and Michael had a “Lovely chemistry, so good together.”

Drugs battle

Davina McCall has openly spoken about her battle with drugs in her early twenties, before getting clean and rising to fame as one of the UK’s most popular TV presenters.

She said overcoming her battle with an addiction to heroin made her a ‘stronger person’, and speaking during Advertising Week Europe 2021, she said: “I dealt with a very difficult, alcoholic, drug-addict mother and in turn ended up a drug addict myself.

“But it’s just made me a much stronger person and a person that doesn’t take no as the end of the line.”

Davina also made a shocking revelation about her previous drug addiction, saying: “I was a heroin addict – that was my drug of choice. I loved heroin, more than my family, more than myself.

“I hated myself, but I loved heroin more than anything. I would have stolen, I would have got myself into terrible mixes to try and get it or have it or get money to have it.”

However, the star made the decision to stop taking drugs and attended weekly meetings to overcome her addiction, adding: “Getting through that, going to go into Narcotics Anonymous meetings, made me realise that if I can get through that I can pretty much get through (anything).”

The star has since turned her life around and is now one of the UK’s most popular presenters, as well as channelling her energy into her well known fitness brand.

Fitness guru

Davina McCall has been inspiring the nation with her fitness regime throughout the years.

However, the presenter has admitted that she never saw herself as a fitness instructor, telling Advertising Week Europe 2021: “If you’d have said to me 20 years ago you’re going to be fitness guru, I’d have literally laughed in (your) face.

“What I’ve realised in life is … you might get on one path, and then something will happen and it will lead you to somewhere else, but you have to be open to opportunity.”

The star has since launched her own range of fitness equipment with high street retailer Boots and released a series of fitness DVDs including Super Body Workout, Body Buff and 30 Day Fat Burn.

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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk