TV presenter Davina McCall has opened up about her close friendship with Fearne Cotton and how they supported each other through serious health issues including brain surgery and tumour removals
In an age where celebrities — and even certain royals — appear willing to wash their dirty linen in public, Davina McCall has some forthright guidance for those in the limelight.
Chatting with her husband, Michael Douglas, on their podcast Making The Cut, Davina commended Fearne Cotton, whose Happy Place podcast bears some resemblance to Davina’s own online talk show, Begin Again. She emphasised that there is no rivalry between them.
“I think what’s interesting is — because Fearne is a different person — she often asks different questions than I would. I would like to listen to one of her pods for research,” she remarked.
Davina drew a similar comparison with Joe Wicks, who works in the health and fitness arena. “I had Joe Wicks on Begin Again, and we basically fill the same kind of space with our love for exercise. But we have never, ever slagged each other off or been rude about each other,” she noted.
She continued by stressing that celebrity rows are pointless: “There’s space for everybody. I actually think the world is a horrible place online and all around. If you are in the same business as someone else — entertainment, broadcasting, whatever — don’t publicly slag them off.”
Having spent more than 30 years in the public eye, Davina offered some wisdom for fellow celebrities, describing showbiz feuds as “a waste of life.”
She recommends: “If you’ve got real beef with someone, contact them. Well, no, contact them and tell them. Like it’s very easy nowadays.”
Rather than dwelling on showbiz figures she dislikes, Davina chooses to celebrate fellow celebrities she admires, calling Fearne Cotton “quite brilliant.”
Recalling how their friendship began, Davina explained: “Actually, it was Sport Relief that brought us together. We did a huge challenge from John O’Groats to Land’s End and we got on brilliantly then. And we’ve been friends since then, but kind of lightly… casual friends messaging every now and again.
“I’d check in with her, she’d check in with me,” Davina continued. “But then when we both got sick, she really, really stepped up.
“She was amazing. And I like to hope that I reciprocated in some way. And I absolutely love that woman.”
Fearne Cotton, 43, underwent surgery in late 2024 to have two tumours removed from her jawline and salivary gland after noticing the growth. Despite the potentially disfiguring procedure, Fearne has since confirmed her recovery is going well.
Davina’s health battles are widely documented, having confronted two potentially severe diagnoses almost exactly a year apart. In November 2024, she had surgery to remove a rare colloid cyst that risked pressing on her brain.
Twelve months later, having recovered from that procedure, Davina discovered a small lump in one of her breasts. That, too, was successfully removed.
On Begin Again, the former Big Brother presenter characterised herself as possessing an “aggravatingly and annoyingly positive” outlook that has aided her in navigating the numerous challenges in her life.
“I have been through so many things and sometimes I have wondered why I am still such a positive person,” she further commented, and this optimistic disposition evidently permeates her interactions with other celebrities.
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