Davina McCall has revealed she is scaling back her professional commitments to a four-day working week after undergoing both brain tumour surgery and breast cancer treatment within the space of a year.
The television presenter said the consecutive health scares prompted a fundamental reassessment of her priorities and wellbeing.
The 58-year-old shared the decision on the Miss Me? podcast, explaining that her focus has shifted towards protecting her own health.
"That is my latest project, me, because I can't take care of anyone else if I'm not OK," Ms McCall told hosts Miquita Oliver and Jordan Stephens.
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Davina McCall is scaling back her professional career
| PAMs McCall underwent surgery to remove a benign brain tumour nearly a year ago, before later discovering a lump in her breast that led to a cancer diagnosis.
The cancer was subsequently removed in October, marking the second major health challenge she faced in quick succession.
She said the experiences forced her to reconsider her demanding career and long-established lifestyle.
The presenter admitted that for much of her life, change was something she actively resisted.
Davina McCall has been open with her social media followers about her diagnosis
| INSTAGRAM"Change was something that really frightened me. I always loved the status quo, knowing what I was doing and feeling safe in that," she explained.
However, Ms McCall said her perspective has altered significantly following her recent medical experiences.
She reflected that her most meaningful personal growth had often emerged from difficult and painful periods of change.
"What has happened, actually is that I have realised that all my really big growth has come from change, and often quite painful change," she said.
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Ms McCall said her perspective on life has altered significantly following her recent medical experiences
| ITVThe broadcaster has maintained an intensive schedule for more than three decades, fronting programmes including Big Brother, The Masked Singer and Long Lost Family.
She traced her journey of personal transformation back to her recovery from addiction in the early 1990s, which she described as a pivotal breakthrough.
"I had an amazing breakthrough when I got clean in the early 90s," she revealed on the podcast.
Ms McCall said her brain tumour surgery later triggered another realisation about the need to reduce stress in her life.
"I had another huge breakthrough after I had my brain tumour removed, I realised that I needed to de-stress my life," she said.
However, she explained that it was her subsequent breast cancer diagnosis that finally compelled her to act on those insights.
Describing the diagnosis as "a very, very frightening thing", Ms McCall said it pushed her to implement the lifestyle changes she had already recognised were necessary.
"Interestingly, I realised that, but then the breast cancer... made me realise that I really had to put that into place, and I have now," she said.
Michael Douglas proposed to Davina McCall last year
| GETTYThe presenter said she now feels more optimistic about achieving a healthier balance going forward.
"I'm going to work a four-day week. I feel so much better now about my life and trying to get it more balanced," Ms McCall said.
She added that prioritising her own wellbeing had become essential, describing self-care as a prerequisite for supporting others.
Ms McCall has been a fixture on British television for more than 30 years, hosting Channel 4's Big Brother from 2000 to 2010 during the show's most successful era.
Her current roles include appearing as a panellist on ITV's The Masked Singer and presenting the podcast Begin Again.
She has also become a prominent voice on women's health issues, fronting documentaries on topics including contraception and the menopause.
Other presenting credits include Long Lost Family and ITV's My Mum, Your Dad.
According to NHS figures, breast cancer remains the most common cancer affecting women in the UK, with risk increasing significantly after the age of 50.