Category Entertainment News

TV presenter Davina McCall has revealed she was initially very hesitant to take a routine health check that later uncovered a rare brain tumour which completely changed her life

Davina McCall has revealed she was initially reluctant to take the health check that ultimately uncovered a rare brain tumour.

The 57-year-old TV presenter told fans last November that doctors had found a ‘very rare’ colloid cyst, a condition affecting just three in a million people. She later underwent surgery after medics warned the cyst could pose serious risks if it grew.

Speaking on BBC Woman’s Hour on Friday, Davina explained her hesitation about confronting her health issues. She explained: “I don’t need a health check, I’m Davina. I’m healthy, I’m fitness lady, that’s what I’m known for. I felt fantastic, I felt the best I’ve felt in year.”

The health check, which was a gift following a menopause talk she gave, included a Dexter scan and a mole map. After a lot of hesitation, Davina finally decided to bite the bullet and finally get her health check after using sunbeds for years.

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“I thought, ‘oh, well that would be quite useful,’” she recalled. “I was sunbed queen in the 80s… I’m ashamed of that. So I had the health check, and what had flagged up is I heard the word benign.”

Davina went on to stress the dangers of so-called “benign” brain tumours as she shared a stern warning with listeners.

“I just want to say to anybody listening, that knows anyone with a benign brain tumour, benign does not mean fine. 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,” Davina shared.

Earlier this year, in April, The Masked Singer star confirmed a ‘final MRI’ scan showed the colloid cyst was “not coming back” following surgery in November 2024.

Amid her life-changing health battle, Davina has been celebrating love after being supported every step of the way by her boyfriend Michael Douglas, 49.

Davina previously gushed that she would not have been able to get through her brain tumour diagnosis with Michael’s support and love. After an incredibly stressful year for both Davina and Michael, it looks like they are more excited than ever for their future after it was reported that they have secretly become are engaged.

The joyful news comes just days after Michael told The Mirror about their upcoming wedding plans at National Television Awards.

“There could be wedding bells on the way, who knows, I’m not going anywhere else if that’s why you mean. But we’re in no rush for any of that, we just enjoy each other’s company,” he shared.

Davina and Michael first met decades ago when he worked as her hair stylist on Big Brother, reconnecting in 2019. They moved in together in 2023, with Michael supporting her through her recent surgery.

Friends say he’s “her absolute rock” and that the couple, with “insane” chemistry, resemble “lovesick teenagers.”

Reflecting on her outlook after her health scare, a friend told The Sun: “Basically Davina thought ‘f*** it, life is short,’ and decided it was time to, as the kids say, lock in the love of her life.”

Davina was previously married twice: to shop manager Andrew Leggett in 1997 for a brief period, and later to TV presenter Matthew Robertson, with whom she has three children – Holly, 23, Tilly, 21, and Chester, 18.

A representative for Celine Dion has hit back at claims about her health and as said that she was never due to “attend, perform, or present” at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest

Celine Dion was never scheduled to “attend, perform, or present” at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, according to a representative for the singer. The 57-year-old Canadian, who won Eurovision for Switzerland in 1988 with Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi, was rumoured to be performing at this year’s song contest.

A statement given to the PA news agency from a representative clarified: “We would like to address the false reporting regarding Celine Dion and the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest earlier this year.

“Celine was not in Basel, nor did she ever plan to attend, perform, or present at the event. Furthermore, contrary to certain claims, she does not own a private plane.

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“Recent published stories are entirely false and potentially damaging since they suggest that she accepted the organisers’ invitation to attend in person and that her subsequent nonattendance resulted from ill health. This is completely untrue.”

The statement went on: “What is accurate is that Celine was invited to record a brief video greeting for the occasion, which she was happy to provide. In an era where sensational headlines often take precedence, we urge media outlets to uphold journalistic integrity and even minimal fact-checking before publishing such inaccuracies.”

It had been claimed that she had spoken out as part of a new documentary celebrating the 30th anniversary of her album D’eux. Reports had suggested the icon was in Basel so that she could perform at the Eurovision final, but a secret health scare forced her to pull out at the last minute.

Dion made an appearance during the first semi-final of the song contest in a pre-recorded video message. During the semi-final, she appeared on screen to tell viewers that she would “love nothing more” than to be at the contest.

Last year, she delivered her first live public performance since disclosing her diagnosis with Stiff Person Syndrome (SPS), singing from the Eiffel Tower at the Paris Olympics’ opening ceremony.

The five-time Grammy-winner announced her SPS diagnosis in December 2022 before calling off her Courage World Tour. Her struggle with the condition, which leads to progressive muscular rigidity, is chronicled in her 2024 documentary I Am: Celine Dion, where she expressed her aspiration to return to the stage.

Now, she is said to be doing better than expected with her issue. “She’s doing great, her health is on track, and she’s hitting the high notes again,” an insider told RadarOnline.com earlier this month.

“She’s gently rehearsing at home and continuing with her physical therapy to treat her SPS. She’s moving around pretty good, and her voice sounds wonderful, thanks to all the vocal exercises she’s been doing.

“People can’t believe she’s doing so well so soon. Of course, she still has her bad days, but she’s getting stronger.”

Her chart-topping hits include It’s All Coming Back To Me Now, Think Twice, A New Day Has Come, and My Heart Will Go On, which was featured in the 1997 film Titanic and topped the UK singles chart.

The Wrecking Ball singer reacts to Taylor’s engagement – and her dad’s relationship with Liz Hurley

Miley Cyrus is loving that dad Billy Ray has given his achy breaky heart to ­Elizabeth Hurley. The singer has given her backing to his new romance with the Hollywood beauty and says the pair couldn’t be happier.

The blossoming romance between country singer Billy Ray and actress Liz looked to be thriving at Wednesday’s National Television Awards, five months after going public about their relationship. They cosied up on the red carpet before Liz presented an award. Billy Ray divorced Miley’s mum Tish in 2022 after almost 30 years of marriage. They have five children, with Miley the eldest. Tish later married Prison Break star Dominic Purcell.

Wrecking Ball singer Miley, 32, said: “When you are younger, I think you just view your parents as Mom and Dad rather than individuals with feelings, with faults, with their own story. The most important thing for both my parents is that they are happy, and it’s clear to see they both are.”

What is also clear to Miley is the sheer joy her pal Taylor Swift is experiencing after getting engaged to American football star Travis Kelce. Miley said: “I have sent my congratulations. Anybody who has been around them can see how in love they are – and they make the absolute cutest couple.”

The Hannah Montana star’s life is also coming up roses after her struggles with addiction, depression and a difficult 2020 divorce from Hunger Games star Liam Hemsworth, 35. She’s healthy, enjoying her music and said to be in a happy relationship with musician Maxx Morando, 26.

In May she released her ninth studio album, Something Beautiful, followed by a visual version. Billy Ray, 64, and Liz, 60, supported Miley at the London premiere of her film accompanying album Something Beautiful in June.

She called the passion project a “a dream come true”. It’s inspired her to work on more music. “The reaction was great, and I feel my fans really connected with it – and that we are closer than before,” she tells. “I want to experiment even more with my next album – and want people to be able to connect with what I am writing.”

Looking ahead to her next projects, the country star reveals she wants to push the boundaries even further with her next album – and is eyeing up a dream collaboration with “super talented” Billie Eilish, 23.

“You know I would really love to do something with Billie,” said Miley. “Obviously, she is super talented, but I love how she has been confident in who she is her entire career. It has never been manufactured, it has never been what the record label has wanted her to be, she has just been unapologetically here – and I love that!”

Miley fans rejoiced when she stepped out on stage with Beyonce, 44, in Paris for her tour show over summer, hoping Flowers star would embark on a mammoth run. But she ruled out her own tour over concerns it would affect her sobriety. “I wish I had the desire, but I don’t,” she confessed at the time.

But it doesn’t mean we won’t be seeing Miley belt out her hits, she insists. “It’s not that I didn’t like performing live, I did and I still do,” she explained. “I just don’t feel like I want to do a sic month tour with 30 cities, I didn’t feel it was great for my mental wellbeing – and that’s something I now make a real priority.”

With the UK holding a special place in her heart, Miley says she’d love to return to perform here. “For a start, London is one of my absolutely favourite cities in the world, I don’t need any excuse to visit,” she shares. “Then Glastonbury is somewhere I feel like I will have a lifelong connection with. The artists that have performed there, the iconic moments, it’s an honour to have been a part of it.”

Comedy icon Bob Mortimer took the microphone in the BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge where he performed a rendition of his silly song, Slender People – with music support from a fellow star

Bob Mortimer reminded fans why he is one of the most beloved comedians in the country by showcasing his musical skills on national radio. The 66-year-old comedy star has been on the air and on TV since the 1980s.

And after decades in the spotlight, the Shooting Stars icon continues to make fans chuckle with his humour and silliness. This week, he delighted fans when he took to BBC Radio, where he was a surprise guest in the Live Lounge.

He unleashed his vocal and lyrical genius while radio host Greg James supported him on the piano. He took to the air to sing a song that he had penned himself.

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The BBC spotlighted the moment on social media, sharing footage of Bob standing with a microphone in hand as he rattled out his song. Many took to the comments of TikTok, YouTube, and other platforms to share their joy in seeing their hero perform.

The footage was shared alongside a simple caption stating: “Bob Mortimer performing a stunning rendition of ‘Slender People’ in the Live Lounge (ft. Chris Whispers on keys).” And ‘Chris’ was unmasked as 39-year-old Greg.

Introducing his performance, Bob declared: “On keyboards this evening accompanying me we have Chris Whispers.” And he then began his performance, saying: “I’d like to present to you, my song.”

The amusing lyrics stated: “Slender people fit through gaps, And slender men look ***** slacks / Slender ladies can kick you in the head, And slender people take up less room in bed.

“Raspberry jam is nice, but it’s full of bloody pips. Lemon curd is tasty, but it puts inches on your hips / Pâté spreads quite easily, but it tastes of cigarettes. Tomorrow I shall kill again, this time in Dungeness.”

Fans were thrilled by the ditty and took to social media to share their delight in seeing him perform. One typed in the comments of TikTok: “Love it. Love him. Actual legend.” While another concurred, writing: “This is the greatest.”

Another appreciative fan wrote: “Bob Mortimer is such a freaking legend, I’ve been a fan of him since the smell of Reeves and Mortimer- many years ago!!” And another joked: “Wish my grandma could’ve lived long enough for me to sing this to her.”

Some fans began a campaign to get Bob to release a festive version of the track and to try to win the crown of Christmas number one on the music charts.

A fan suggested: “A guaranteed Christmas No. 1 should Bob choose to release it. ‘Slender Christmas’.” And another praised Bob’s performance and songwriting skills, writing: “Modern-day Madonna.”

The song itself was written by Bob when he was appearing on the Amazon Prime comedy series, Last One Laughing. He was pitted against fellow comedians and they all had to deliver comedy without laughing – with Bob winning the contest against fellow stars including Richard Ayoade and Daisy May Cooper.

Reality star Sophie Kasaei and her partner Jordan Brook say they won’t give up on their dream of having “a little bump,” urging other couples to talk openly and challenge the stigma around fertility struggles

Reality TV favourite Sophie Kasaei and her partner Jordan Brook have spoken candidly about their ongoing fertility journey, vowing they will not give up hope of starting a family despite the challenges they have faced.

The former Geordie Shore star, 35, has been praised for her openness in discussing her struggles, including the heartbreak of a chemical pregnancy last year. “I’m not going to give up my dreams of having a little bump,” Sophie insisted, as she and Jordan, 30, continue to fight for their dream of becoming parents.

A chemical pregnancy is described as “an early pregnancy loss that occurs shortly after implantation,” and the experience left the couple devastated.

Since then, they have embarked on a new stage of treatment, beginning Lymphocyte Immunisation Therapy (LIT) – a process which, according to The Fertility and Gynaecology Academy, “involves analysing a patient’s immune system and administering appropriate immune therapy.”

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Speaking exclusively to The Mirror at this year’s National Television Awards, Sophie and Jordan revealed how their hopes for the months ahead are shaping their lives, including their plans to spend Christmas abroad.

“This Christmas is all about family and we’re actually going to be spending it abroad for the first time in a long time,” Jordan said. Sophie added tenderly: “Our dream is just to wake up on Christmas Day and just have a little bump. That is all I really, really want in life. So I’m praying it happens this year. And it will, it will.”

Jordan echoed her words with emotion: “I don’t care where we are in the world or what we’re doing, just as long as that happens.”

Despite the joy of looking ahead, with Sophie also joking that she’s ‘just waiting on a ring’ from Jordan, both acknowledge the difficult journey they have endured. Sophie has been determined to use her platform to support others in similar situations.

“I would just say that no matter who your partner is, you’ve got to open up and you’ve got to converse and talk to one another. It’s so important to explain how you’re feeling. You’ve got to remember that your partner is also there for support and they’re going through the exact same thing as you,” she explained.

“I know it’s really hard but you’ve got to be able to talk to your friends as well and be open – and I get how hard that is – but I would always say communicate and get your testing done if you are struggling.” Jordan, too, wants to encourage men to speak out about the often silent burden of fertility struggles.

“This goes out to men as well. I have always tried my hardest to be that advocate for blokes because they don’t like speaking. And since I’ve opened up and spoken about what me and Sophie have been going through from a man’s point of view, I’ve found that there are so many men that are in the same position,” he shared.

He added: “A lot of blokes feel like they don’t feel man enough. They’re trying for a baby and they don’t feel like they’re a man because they can’t give their partner and woman what she deserves.

“All of that goes through your mind, so to men I would just say speak to your mates and speak to your Mrs – just talk to everyone.”

The couple first shared details of their fertility battles last September, when Jordan revealed Sophie was undergoing medical tests following her decision to have endometriosis surgery.

Since then, their willingness to document the ups and downs of their journey has inspired thousands of others, cementing them as one of reality TV’s most relatable couples.

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In Netflix series Love Con Revenge , Norwegian-born Cecilie sets out on a quest to ‘unmask other scammers’. In an exclusive interview she gives her top ways to spot a love scammer

Cecilie Fjellhoy was 29 when she was swooned by Simon Liviev (real name Shimon Hayut) but her world came crumbling down when she realised she was a victim of a cruel scam.

The relationship left her in thousands of pounds worth of debt. Disclosing the first stages of her relationship with the infamous Tinder Swindler, she said: “He was very handsome and very charismatic. I felt so well taken care of and truly loved. I felt really lucky to be around him.”

In their short relationship of 54 days, Cecilie lost more than $200,000 (£150,000) to ‘Simon’ who was posing as the heir to a diamond empire and often needed Cecilie’s finances to evade his ‘enemies’.

In Neflix’s new show Love Con Revenge, Norwegian-born Cecilie sets out on a quest to ‘unmask other scammers’.

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The fraudsters here are not claiming to be billionaire diamond dealers escaping thugs as in Cecilie’s case – but have similarly extraordinary covers in a bid to defraud victims.

These include an ‘army veteran’ who says he needs money to give to the family of his war comrade who died taking a bullet for him, ultimately defrauding his girlfriend of $50,000 (£36,883). Meanwhile, another woman pretends she had MS so her boyfriend will fund her lifestyle.

In an interview with The Mirror, Cecilie said of the fraudsters she exposes on the new show: “There is nugget of truth in every single one – so you believe them. In my case, Shimon Hayut was playing a character called Simon. He was not a diamond dealer, but I went on a private jet with him. That’s why it seemed real.”

She adds that all the people she investigated in the new series: “They are straight out of the romance con artist playbook.”

Jessica Hampson, CEO of fraud specialists CEL Solicitors added: “Cecilie has done fantastic work in raising awareness of romance fraud. More than any other type of scam, romance fraudsters manipulate the emotions of their victims, playing with their feelings and their trust.

“It can be difficult for people to come forward after this type of scam but the more the crime is reported, the better it can be prevented. It is possible to recover the money lost but you must first report the crime to the police and your bank.”

In 2019, Cecilie’s ex was convicted of four charges of fraud – unrelated to her allegations – and sentenced to 15 months in prison, but he was released after serving five months.

The conviction followed the two-year sentence he received in Finland in 2015 over the defrauding of three women in that country.

Here are Cecelie’s seven ways to spot a lover scammer:

Super successful careers or trustworthy jobs

Love Con Revenge features a doctor and an army veteran. The doctor turned out not to be a medical one and the army vet only served briefly before being thrown out for drug taking.

“What impresses people is occupations that we can trust. We see time and time again that fraudsters will try to pretend that they’re doctors or successful businessmen,” says Cecilie.

It’s difficult not to take someone at face value, but it’s important to be alert to anything that sounds too good to be true.

Borrowing small amounts of money and paying it straight back

Online dating should be about getting to know each other, not talking about finances. But some love con artist can attempt to use this to build trust initially.

“This builds trust with your fraudster – because they have paid you back before you don’t worry or are concerned you won’t get the money back,” says Cecile.

They pay it back quickly and sometimes even add interest. This is shown by one love conman on the Netflix series who lures his victim into a false sense of security that her money will always be returned.

Push and pull relationship

Fraudsters will abruptly end the relationship, Cecile says, withdrawing their affection before starting things back up again. This leaves the victim deeply insecure and feeling like they’re walking on eggshells – desperate not to do anything that might upset the relationship again.

“They reel you in with love and attention. Once you’re hooked, they will unexpectedly pull away,” warns Cecilie. “Suddenly, you’re the one chasing their love and affection, and that’s the power shift that they want. You’re not thinking straight. That’s when they can get even more money from you!”

Love bombing

Fraudsters will often move in at lightening speed, making the target feel like are being swept off their feet. They want move to into a relationship very quickly – for example moving in with you, within a few months of dating.

Cecilie was treated to 100 red roses on her birthday, taken on fancy dates and the scammer proclaimed his love to her very early in the relationship.

“This is called ‘love bombing’. They love you, they shower you with compliments, they want to move in, you’re their dream woman. Everything is happening very quickly – watch out for that,” Cecilie explained.

Sending several romantic messages in a short space of time is also a way of “lovebombing” a way into a relationship. Scammers will often shower you with affection to draw you in and make you feel special.

Cecile says she wishes people shouldn’t have to be on their guard for this of behaviour. “I’ve always loved very fast. You hear those stories – ‘we went on a date and we’ve been married for 30 years’ – It’s sad (to feel that can’t happen).”

Sunk cost fallacy

Cecilie said: “Sunk Cost Fallacy is what you put into a relationship, and the further in you get, the more difficult it is to admit that something’s wrong because you already spent so much time, and so much money, that you go deeper and deeper into it instead of retracting.”

By the end victims have invested so much that they don’t want to listen to their inner doubts and abandon a course of action they have invested so heavily in. “You don’t want to confront your nightmare,” the campaigner says.

Never wanting to meet in person

In Cecilie’s case, she did meet her scammer in person often, but he was faking his identity. In most cases of romance fraud, scammers have a reluctance to take the relationship beyond the realm of online.

Cecilie said: “If they always have an excuse, like that they’re travelling, if they can never meet up or they’re always busy – be very wary. Meet up with them in person to make sure that the person you’re talking to online is the real one.”

Future faking

Future faking is manipulation based on an elaborate lie. It is when false promises are made about a shared future, such as a romantic relationship, business partnership, or investment.

This tactic involves feigning a deep connection and using elaborate, long-term plans to keep the victim invested.