Cover story
Davina McCall opens up about going through the menopause, how it’s shaped her and the joy of finding love again in later life
The TV world can be fickle, so it’s no mean feat that Davina McCall has been on our screens for over 30 years, presenting shows like Big Brother, The Masked Singer and Long-Lost Family. She’s still as busy as ever with her work as a brand ambassador for Garnier and JD Williams, alongside her TV career, while also inspiring people to feel their best via her fitness platform, Own Your Goals.
But that’s not to say that things have always run smoothly for the 54-year-old. In 2017, she had a very public and painful shock split from her then husband of 17 years, Matthew Robertson, at a time when she was battling menopausal symptoms, which left her feeling confused, exhausted and out of touch with her body. ‘I completely lost my passion for working out and I had no get-up-andgo, which is so unlike me. It felt scary.’
The mum-of-three has since gone on to find happiness with her long-term friend and hairdresser Michael Douglas, and having tamed her own menopause beast, she’s determined to help other women do the same with her new book.
Davina has been in w&h many times and yet we’ve never seen her looking or sounding better. We find out why.
My new book, Menopausing, is a love letter to all women who are navigating their way through the menopause. I wanted all the anecdotes to be me talking verbatim about my experience. The real hard-hitting bits are other people’s stories and I cried at some of them. Everybody will be able to see themselves in this book at some point, and everyone is represented.
Menopause can be a very lonely place. There are times when you think no one knows what you’re going through. I wanted the book to be easy to identify with. It also has a section in the back where you can cross-reference everything. There are tips about exercise, hair, make-up and skin – you name it. It’s quite holistic but also simple to absorb. I learnt so much writing the book.
I was embarrassed to admit I was on HRT when perimenopause kicked in. In fact, I didn’t even want anybody to know I was menopausal. I thought it was ageing and it could lose me work, or I’d be seen as less of a woman. I had all these weird preconceptions of how people would view me. I look back now and I just think that’s so sad.
Menopause was an amazing rebirth for me, but I was unable to see that at the time.
I don’t want any women to feel embarrassed about taking HRT. We have to de-demonise it. It’s great if you don’t want to take it but great if you do, it shouldn’t be something people are ashamed about. However you choose to navigate the menopause, we all owe it to younger women to go out there and live our best lives and say, ‘Yes it can be tricky, but if you
