Davina McCall reveals how singing lessons for The Masked Singer ‘saved her’ during terrifying brain tumour battle

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Davina McCall credits singing lessons for *The Masked Singer* with helping her cope during her difficult fight with a brain tumor.

The 57-year-old TV presenter revealed in November that doctors found a very rare cyst – a colloid cyst – which affects only about three people in a million.

Doctors eventually performed surgery to remove the cyst, as they were concerned it could cause significant health issues if it continued to grow.

In April, Davina received confirmation from a final MRI scan that her colloid cyst hadn’t returned after its removal in surgery last November.

The TV personality, who both judges the show and was a runner-up as ‘Star’ in the 2024 Christmas special, has revealed she found singing lessons to be incredibly helpful, describing them as a form of therapy. She expressed her gratitude for the experience.

Davina recently shared with The Mirror at the National Television Awards that being on The Masked Singer was surprisingly therapeutic for her, helping her to heal from something difficult.

I always loved to sing and dreamed of being a great singer, so when I received my diagnosis, I decided to take singing lessons to improve.

‘Singing really kept me going, and it was almost like a certain type of therapy for me. It was wonderful and I’m very grateful for those lessons,’ she added.

This follows Davina’s admission that she was hesitant to get the health check which ultimately led to the discovery of her unusual brain tumor.

She shared on BBC Woman’s Hour that she initially didn’t want to get the health check, as it was a gift after she spoke about menopause at a corporate event.

She recalled thinking: ‘I don’t need a health check, I’m Davina.

I’m known as a health and fitness enthusiast, and I was feeling incredibly well – better than I have in years.

They mentioned they were using a Dexter scan, which I hadn’t done before, but I realized it could be helpful.

I also got a mole map, which I thought was a good idea, considering I used to spend a lot of time on sunbeds back in the 80s – something I now regret.

So I had the health check and what had flagged up is I heard the word benign.’

She added, speaking directly to listeners, that just because a brain tumor is labeled ‘benign’ doesn’t mean it’s harmless or that the person is okay.

That’s a really important thing to say because benign cysts can be devastating.

‘They can be inoperable, they can kill you.

‘Just because it’s not cancerous doesn’t mean it’s not deadly.’

Oh my gosh, you won’t BELIEVE this! It’s happening again – we’re getting more details about why Davina was SO emotional when she got that Special Recognition award at the NTAs last year. I was practically crying WITH her, and now we’re finally going to find out what was going through her head! I’ve been waiting for this forever!

The presenter received an award recognizing her almost 30 years in television, and the audience at London’s O2 Arena gave her a standing ovation.

During a heartfelt video call, television personalities Dermot O’Leary, Alison Hammond, and Claudia Winkleman shared stories about their friendship and celebrated her professional achievements.

It left Davina in tears as she collected the award from Hannah Waddingham.

I was so worried about Davina, but now she’s shared what she’s been going through, and it’s just heartbreaking. She’s been battling a brain tumour and actually had surgery! It explains why she was so emotional – I can’t imagine how scary that must have been for her.

She shared with The Mirror that she found out she had a brain tumor last year and was scheduled for surgery six weeks later. Despite this, she was honored to receive an award that was very meaningful to her.

Everyone understood how important this was to me. I was deeply affected because my future felt uncertain – I didn’t know what my situation would be in just six weeks.

Davina’s journey was part of a Channel 4 documentaries.

The documentaries were a key part of why she received the Special Recognition award last September.

Overcome with emotion, Davina began to cry as she addressed the audience, saying she was too moved to find the words to express how much the moment meant to her.

Davina is now among the celebrated stars who have received the Special Recognition Award in the past.

Sarah Lancashire, Lenny Henry, David Dimbleby, and the late Paul O’Grady are all past winners of the award.

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2025-09-14 14:21