Davina McCall admits Michael Douglas prepared something ‘incredibly thoughtful’ ahead of his marriage proposal in Ibiza as she discusses her surprise engagement and recovery from brain surgery in first interview since breast cancer diagnosis
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Davina McCall has spoken publicly about her surprise engagement to Michael Douglas for the first time since confirming she had been diagnosed with breast cancer.
The TV presenter announced the couple’s engagement in September, following a tumultuous year during which McCall underwent brain surgery to remove a benign tumor.
McCall, 58, who is preparing for a new health battle after being diagnosed with breast cancer, admits her decision to propose was completely unprepared.
‘It was a complete surprise,’ he said HELLO! ‘Michael is a very funny guy and had spent the last two years kneeling down and tying an imaginary shoelace around my finger.
‘I was afraid he was joking when he actually did it. But he had prepared something incredibly thoughtful… I respected that.’
Famous hairdresser Douglas, who met McCall while working together on the Big Brother reality show, proposed during a summer holiday in Ibiza.
Davina McCall has spoken publicly for the first time about her surprise engagement to Michael Douglas after confirming she had been diagnosed with breast cancer.
The TV presenter announced the couple’s engagement in September, following a tumultuous year during which McCall underwent brain surgery to remove a benign tumour.
‘We were hugging, kissing, crying and then we heard the swimmers say, ‘Yes, congratulations.’ McCall remembered the moment he proposed.
The couple, who have been close friends for years, began a relationship in 2019, shortly after her 18-year first marriage to Matthew Robertson, with whom she raised children Holly, Tilly and Chester, ended in divorce.
But McCall, who once said she would not remarry, insists on wearing a traditional engagement ring as she looks to the future with her fiancée.
‘I always said I didn’t want it,’ he said, insisting the wedding ceremony would be ‘very small and private’ when it did happen.
‘Getting married at this stage of life is very different… it’s very important,’ she added.
Speaking to HELLO while attending the publication’s Second Act Power List event, McCall admitted that the combination of personal satisfaction and the inevitable wisdom that comes with age has given him a newfound optimism.
‘I’m grateful for every minute,’ he said. ‘I am the happiest person I have ever been. I’m in a very good place and my age has given me that.’
The Power List was launched at a special celebration at Sartoria Launceston Place, the latest launch of the EVOLV Collection, where influential women came together for an unforgettable night of fun and inspiration.
From empowering speeches to a packed dance floor, this evening encapsulated everything that Act Two of HELLO! stands for: independence, reinvention, and unapologetic self-belief.
