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Davina Lucy Pascale McCall (born 16 October 1967) is an English television presenter. She was the presenter of the reality show '' Big Brother'' during its run on
Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
between 2000 and 2010. She also hosted
Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
's '' Streetmate'' (1998–2001, 2016), ''
The Million Pound Drop ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
'' (2010–2015), '' Five Minutes to a Fortune'' (2013), and '' The Jump'' (2014–2017), as well as
ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
's ''The Biggest Loser'' (2011–2012), '' Long Lost Family'' (2011–present), and '' This Time Next Year'' (2016–2019). McCall was a regular co-presenter of the ''
Comic Relief Comic relief is the inclusion of a humorous character, scene, or witty dialogue in an otherwise serious work, often to relieve tension. Definition Comic relief usually means a releasing of emotional or other tension resulting from a comic episo ...
'' annual telethons from 2005 to 2015. From 2010 to 2014, McCall presented the
Sky One Sky One was a British pay television channel operated and owned by Sky Group (a division of Comcast). Originally launched on 26 April 1982 as Satellite Television, it was Europe's first satellite and non-terrestrial channel. From 31 July 1989, ...
dance competition show ''
Got to Dance ''Got to Dance'', originally titled ''Just Dance'', is a British dance competition that was broadcast on Sky 1 in the United Kingdom from 20 December 2009 to 28 December 2014. Auditions for the show were held in specially built "Dance Domes" and ...
''. Since 2020, she has been a judge on the
ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
musical competition show ''
The Masked Singer ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
,'' and since 2021, a spin-off of the show, ''The Masked Dancer''.


Early life and education

McCall was born on 16 October 1967 in
Wimbledon Wimbledon most often refers to: * Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London * Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships Wimbledon may also refer to: Places London * ...
, London, to a French mother, Florence (née Hennion) and an English father, Andrew McCall, a graphic designer and events organiser for Portsmouth Harbour Authority. At the age of three she went to live with her paternal grandparents in
Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...
after the break-up of her parents' marriage. Her mother Florence—whom McCall has described as something of a "wild child" and later, specifically as "an
alcoholic Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol that results in significant mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognized diagnostic entity. Predomina ...
"—returned to Paris, and McCall saw her only when on holidays. McCall attended St Catherine's School, Bramley near
Guildford Guildford () is a town in west Surrey, around southwest of central London. As of the 2011 census, the town has a population of about 77,000 and is the seat of the wider Borough of Guildford, which had around inhabitants in . The name "Guildf ...
, Surrey and Godolphin and Latymer Girls School, an
independent school An independent school is independent in its finances and governance. Also known as private schools, non-governmental, privately funded, or non-state schools, they are not administered by local, state or national governments. In British Eng ...
in
Hammersmith Hammersmith is a district of West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, and identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. ...
,
West London West London is the western part of London, England, north of the River Thames, west of the City of London, and extending to the Greater London boundary. The term is used to differentiate the area from the other parts of London: North London ...
. At secondary level, McCall studied for nine
O levels The O-Level (Ordinary Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education. It was introduced in place of the School Certificate in 1951 as part of an educational reform alongside the more in-depth ...
and two A levels.


Career

McCall's first career was as a singer, and she had been performing in a band, Lazy Bear, while still at school. By age 19, she had decided to pursue a professional career as a solo classical artist, and briefly commenced classical vocal coaching.Meet the Team – Davina McCall
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
Parenting. URL accessed 3 September 2006. Dissatisfied with her lack of success in the music industry, McCall gave up singing and took a job at Models 1 on the men's desk as a booker. Later she ran a restaurant for two years before a brief spell in Paris as a ''Moulin Rouge''-style cabaret performer. On her return to London she worked on the nightclub scene as a hostess.Davina McCall Profile
Hello!. URL accessed 3 September 2006 Work in this period also included an appearance as a dancer in the video for the 1991
Kylie Minogue Kylie Ann Minogue (; born 28 May 1968) is an Australian singer, songwriter and actress. She is the highest-selling female Australian artist of all time, having sold over 80 million records worldwide. She has been recognised for reinve ...
single " Word Is Out", wearing a striped sweater and beret in a nod to her French ancestry. In 1994, McCall was hired as a presenter on
Ray Cokes Ray Cokes (born Raymond Christopher Cokes on 24 February 1958) is an English television presenter. Career Early life Ray's father was an officer in the Royal Navy, who was stationed at various navy bases around the world. When Ray was 15 the ...
' ''
Most Wanted Most Wanted may refer to: Law enforcement A most wanted list used by a law enforcement agency to alert the public, such as: *FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives *FBI Most Wanted Terrorists *ICE Most Wanted *List of Mexico's 37 most-wanted drug lords *Lis ...
'' on
MTV Europe MTV Global (formerly as MTV Europe) is the international version of the American TV channel MTV, a 24-hour music and entertainment TV channel that began broadcasting on August 1, 1987, as part of the worldwide MTV network. Initially, MTV serve ...
. She then presented ''Hitlist UK''. In 1995, she went on to host the ITV late night game show ''
God's Gift ''God's Gift'' is a 2006 direct to video American drama film directed by Master P produced, and distributed by Guttar Music Entertainment. Synopsis The film is based on boxing, and Romeo's struggle with God and school. It also shows his strugg ...
''.


Channel 4

In 1998, McCall hosted cult dating show '' Streetmate'' in which she toured the country meeting single people and matching them up. McCall was chosen as the presenter of the inaugural series of '' Big Brother'', in which ten housemates entered a sealed house for up to nine weeks and their every move was filmed and then broadcast as a daily highlights television show. McCall hosted the weekly live eviction show, where one contestant would be removed from the house, until the last housemate became the winner. McCall also hosted the celebrity version ''
Celebrity Big Brother ''Big Brother VIP'', is an adaptation of the '' Big Brother'' reality television series. It is the celebrity version of its parent franchise ''Big Brother'', the celebrity version airs in several countries, however, the housemates or houseguest ...
'', the first series of which ran for eight days in March 2001. McCall's performance on the final night of the sixth series in 2005 attracted press attention and some complaints for her treatment of housemate
Makosi Musambasi Makosi Musambasi is a Zimbabwean model, socialite and television personality. She appeared on '' Big Brother 6'' in the UK in 2005. Background Makosi was born in 1980 in Zimbabwe. She lived her early life in Harare where she had her primary and ...
. In December 2007, McCall presented a New Year's edition of ''
The Friday Night Project ''The Sunday Night Project'' is a British comedy-variety show by Princess Productions that first aired on Channel 4 in February 2005 under the title ''The Friday Night Project''. Originally broadcast on Friday nights, the show moved to Sunday n ...
'', entitled ''The Friday Night New Year Project 2007''. By the ninth series of '' Big Brother'' in 2008, McCall was earning a reported £85,000 per episode. Responding to tabloid claims before the series that she was about to quit ''Big Brother'' she said, "I'm not leaving ... They would have to kill me before I'd stop doing it". The ninth series proved to be a low point, however, becoming the least watched summer series in the show's history. McCall became the regular presenter of the live ''Big Brother'' companion show ''
Big Brother's Big Mouth This is a complete list of shows about and relating to ''Big Brother UK'' and ''Celebrity Big Brother''. The civilian edition ran from 2000 to 2018 and the celebrity edition ran from 2001 to 2018. ''Big Brother'' ''Big Brother'' was a daily sho ...
'' for the tenth and eleventh series, after it was re-formatted into an hour-long show after the weekly live eviction show, having previously occupied the slot after each daily highlights show. With audience figures falling, Channel 4 decided that the eleventh series in summer 2010 would be the last ''Big Brother'' broadcast on their channel, although the show's future was in the hands of the rights holder
Endemol Endemol B.V. was a Dutch-based media company that produced and distributed multiplatform entertainment content. The company annually produced more than 15,000 hours of programming across scripted and non-scripted genres, including drama, reality ...
. After presenting the seventh and final series of ''Celebrity Big Brother'' in January 2010, she fronted her eleventh and final regular edition over the summer. As a finale to the series on Channel 4, McCall also presented the ''
Ultimate Big Brother ''Ultimate Big Brother'' was the final series of the UK reality television programme ''Big Brother (UK TV series), Big Brother'' to air on Channel 4. The series was produced by Remarkable Pictures, a division of Endemol. ''Ultimate Big Brother' ...
'' show, which started immediately after the main series, and featured selected past celebrity and non-celebrity housemates. Having made the decision to leave the show after ''Ultimate Big Brother'', McCall confirmed she would not be returning as host when Channel 5 announced in April 2011 that they had secured the rights to relaunch ''Big Brother'' in summer 2011. She gave her backing to
Emma Willis Emma Louise Willis (née Griffiths; born 18 March 1976) is an English broadcaster. She is known for her television and radio work with Channel 5, BBC, ITV, and Heart FM.
as her replacement, stating she still believed the show had potential. ''
Big Brother 2 ''Big Brother 2'' is the second season of various versions of '' Big Brother'' and may refer to: * ''Big Brother 2'' (Netherlands), the 2000 edition of the Dutch version of ''Big Brother'' * ''Big Brother Germany'' (season 2), the 2000 version ...
'' and ''Ultimate Big Brother'' winner Brian Dowling was ultimately chosen to take over McCall's role as presenter of the Channel 5 version, though in 2013
Emma Willis Emma Louise Willis (née Griffiths; born 18 March 1976) is an English broadcaster. She is known for her television and radio work with Channel 5, BBC, ITV, and Heart FM.
became his successor as the new presenter. In between the final celebrity and regular editions of ''Big Brother'' on Channel 4, McCall began presenting a new game show, ''
The Million Pound Drop ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
''. The final episode aired on 20 March 2015, with the primetime series axed in 2016. On 14 July 2017, it was announced that the format would return as a daytime series under the name ''The £100K Drop''. From 2012 to 2016, McCall co-hosted charity telethon ''
Stand Up to Cancer Stand Up to Cancer (SU2C) is a charitable program of the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF). SU2C aims to raise significant funds for translational cancer research through online and televised efforts. Central to the program is a telethon tha ...
'' with
Alan Carr Alan Graham Carr (born 14 June 1976) is an English comedian, broadcaster and writer. His breakthrough was in 2001, winning the '' City Life'' Best Newcomer of the Year and the BBC New Comedy Awards. In the ensuing years, Carr's career burgeon ...
,
Christian Jessen Christian Spencer Jessen (born 4 March 1977) is a British celebrity doctor, television personality, and writer. He is best known for appearing in the Channel 4 programmes ''Embarrassing Bodies'' (2007–2015) and '' Supersize vs Superskinny'' (2 ...
and
Adam Hills Adam Christopher Hills (born 10 July 1970) is an Australian comedian, radio and television presenter. In Australia, he hosted the music quiz show '' Spicks and Specks'' from 2005 to 2011, and again in 2021 onwards, and the talk show ''Adam Hi ...
. As part of the 2014 telethon, McCall and Carr also hosted a companion series ''Stars at Your Service''. In April 2013, McCall presented one series of '' Five Minutes to a Fortune''. From January 2014 to March 2017, McCall presented reality competition '' The Jump'' which was broadcast live from
Innsbruck Innsbruck (; bar, Innschbruck, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian ) is the capital of Tyrol (state), Tyrol and the List of cities and towns in Austria, fifth-largest city in Austria. On the Inn (river), River Inn, at its junction with the ...
and
Kühtai Kühtai is a winter sports village in the Stubai Alps on the Kühtai Saddle between the Nedertal valley in the west and the Sellrain valley in the east. It is part of the municipality of Silz, in the district of Bezirk Imst, Imst, in the Austria ...
in Austria. In 2016, McCall presented ''Make My Body Better'' on Channel 4.


Sky

Davina co-presented the first series of '' Prickly Heat'' alongside
Julian Clary Julian Peter McDonald Clary (born 25 May 1959) is an English actor, comedian, novelist and presenter. He began appearing on television in the mid-1980s. Since then he has also acted in films, television and stage productions, numerous pantomim ...
on Sky1. She was replaced by Denise van Outen for further two series. On 20 December 2009, McCall began hosting reality programme ''
Got to Dance ''Got to Dance'', originally titled ''Just Dance'', is a British dance competition that was broadcast on Sky 1 in the United Kingdom from 20 December 2009 to 28 December 2014. Auditions for the show were held in specially built "Dance Domes" and ...
''. On 24 October 2014, it was confirmed that the show had been axed after five series. In 2015, McCall presented '' One Hundred and Eighty'', a darts-based game show for
Sky1 Sky One was a British pay television channel operated and owned by Sky Group (a division of Comcast). Originally launched on 26 April 1982 as Satellite Television, it was Europe's first satellite and non-terrestrial channel. From 31 July 1989, ...
.


ITV

McCall co-presented the six part series ''Birthrace 2000'' with
Lisa Riley Lisa Jane Riley (born 13 July 1976) is an English actress and television presenter. Riley portrayed Mandy Dingle in the ITV (TV channel), ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'' between 1995 and 2001, and again from 2019. She also replaced Jeremy Beadle as ...
in 1999, which featured couples trying to have the first baby of the
millennium A millennium (plural millennia or millenniums) is a period of one thousand years, sometimes called a kiloannum (ka), or kiloyear (ky). Normally, the word is used specifically for periods of a thousand years that begin at the starting point (ini ...
. McCall co-presented four series of '' Don't Try This at Home'' for ITV. Her co-presenters were
Kate Thornton Kate Thornton (born 7 February 1973) is an English journalist and broadcaster, best known as the first presenter of ''The X Factor'' (2004–2006) and for presenting daytime shows including '' Loose Women'' (2009–2011) and '' This Morning'' (2 ...
, Paul Hendy and
Darren Day Darren Day is an English actor, singer and television presenter, well known for his West End theatre starring roles. Early life Day's paternal grandfather was a support act to George Formby in the days of music hall. Day undertook drama clas ...
. When '' Don't Try This at Home'' ended in 2001, McCall continued with the channel, presenting series such as '' Popstars: The Rivals'' and '' The Vault'' (1st series) in 2002, ''
Reborn in the USA ''Reborn in the USA'' is a British reality television show broadcast on ITV, in which ten British pop acts were transported to the US, where they were supposedly not known in the hope of revitalising their music career. Each week, the American ...
'' in 2003 and '' Love on a Saturday Night'' in 2004. She also hosted the
British Academy Television Awards 2004 The 2004 British Academy Television Awards were held on Sunday 18 April at the Grosvenor House Hotel in Park Lane (road), Park Lane, London. The ceremony was hosted by Davina McCall and broadcast on ITV the following day. Winners * Best Acto ...
for ITV and again in
2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
. In 2011, McCall began hosting ''
The Biggest Loser ''The Biggest Loser'' is a reality television format which started with the American TV show ''The Biggest Loser'' in 2004. The show centers on overweight and obese contestants attempting to lose the most weight; the winner receives a cash prize. ...
'' and '' Long Lost Family''. After just two series, it was announced that ''The Biggest Loser'' had been axed by ITV in September 2012. ''Long Lost Family'', however, is still being broadcast on the channel, with McCall and
Nicky Campbell Nicholas Andrew Argyll Campbell, OBE (born Nicholas Lackey, 10 April 1961) is a Scottish broadcaster and journalist. He has worked in television and radio since 1981 and as a network presenter with BBC Radio since 1987. Early life Campbell wa ...
as hosts. In 2013, McCall presented '' Stepping Out'' which was seen as a rival to
BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, p ...
's ''
Strictly Come Dancing ''Strictly Come Dancing'' (informally known as ''Strictly'') is a British dance contest show in which celebrities partner with professional dancers to compete in mainly ballroom and Latin dance. Each couple is scored by a panel of usually 4 ...
''. In 2016, Davina presented a four-part factual series for ITV called ''Davina McCall: Life at the Extreme''. From 2016 to 2019, she has presented three series of '' This Time Next Year'' for the channel. In January 2017, McCall guest presented three episodes of '' This Morning'' alongside
Phillip Schofield Phillip Bryan Schofield (born 1 April 1962) is an English television presenter who works for ITV. He is currently the co-presenter of ITV's '' This Morning'' (2002–present) and ''Dancing on Ice'' (2006–2014, 2018–present) alongside Holl ...
. She returned to guest present an episode in February 2018 with
Ore Oduba Ore Oduba (born 17 November 1986) is a British television and radio presenter who has also worked as an actor. He is best known for winning the fourteenth series of BBC One's ''Strictly Come Dancing'' in 2016. He presented the CBBC news program ...
. McCall guest presented five episodes of '' The Nightly Show'' in March 2017. In 2018, she was the host of ''A&E Live'', a three part series to commemorate 70 years of the NHS. On 9 September 2019, McCall was announced as a judge for ''
The Masked Singer ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
'', the UK version of the international music game show ''
Masked Singer ''Masked Singer'' is an international music reality game show franchise. It originated from the South Korean program '' The King of Mask Singer'', developed by Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation. Format The format features the celebrities who per ...
''.
Series 1 The IBM Series/1 is a 16-bit minicomputer, introduced in 1976, that in many respects competed with other minicomputers of the time, such as the PDP-11 from Digital Equipment Corporation and similar offerings from Data General and HP. The Seri ...
aired in January 2020, and
series 2 Series 2 could refer to: * Apple Watch Series 2, a smart watch by Apple * Aston Martin Lagonda Series 2, the automobile model * Aston Martin V8 Series 2, the automobile model * BMW 2 Series, the automobile model line * GeForce 2 series, line of nV ...
began airing in December 2020. On 4 March 2021, it was announced by
ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
that McCall would be appearing as a judge on the brand new spin off show of '' The Masked Singer UK, The Masked Dancer UK,'' which is set to air in spring 2021.


BBC

During 2005, McCall presented ''He's Having a Baby'', where she followed and advised eight young men who were to become first-time fathers at various stages during the show's ten-week run. It received poor ratings. McCall has been one of the co-presenters of the annual British charity telethons that are organised by
Comic Relief Comic relief is the inclusion of a humorous character, scene, or witty dialogue in an otherwise serious work, often to relieve tension. Definition Comic relief usually means a releasing of emotional or other tension resulting from a comic episo ...
on BBC One. Organised on an alternating comedy/sport theme and televised live in March,
Red Nose Day Comic relief is the inclusion of a humorous character, scene, or witty dialogue in an otherwise serious work, often to relieve tension. Definition Comic relief usually means a releasing of emotional or other tension resulting from a comic episo ...
has been co-hosted by McCall since 2005. She had previously presented or appeared on various related Comic Relief shows, including: ''The Record Breaker'' (1999), ''Naked Red Nose Ground Force in Practice'' and ''Say Pants to Poverty'' (2001), ''The Big Hair Do'' (2003) and '' Comic Relief Does Fame Academy'' (2005). From early 2006, McCall fronted her own prime-time chat show, '' Davina''. Receiving scathing reviews and with viewing figures falling to below half of the six million watching ''
The Bill ''The Bill'' is a British police procedural television series, first broadcast on ITV from 16 August 1983 until 31 August 2010. The programme originated from a one-off drama, '' Woodentop'', broadcast in August 1983. The programme focused on ...
'' on ITV at the same time, the show was axed in April for not reaching expectations with McCall herself saying that the programme was "the worst mistake of her life".


UKTV

McCall presented her own show on the W channel from September 2017, called ''The Davina Hour''.


Other ventures

In 2001, McCall appeared with Ed Byrne,
Tristan Gemmill Tristan John Gemmill (born 6 June 1967) is an English actor, most notable for his roles as Dr Adam Trueman on '' Casualty'', and Robert Preston in ''Coronation Street''. He was educated at Holmewood House School, Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent, up ...
and
Tameka Empson Tameka Empson (born 16 April 1977) is an English actress and comedian. She appeared as one of the three protagonists in the hidden-camera comedy sketch show ''3 Non-Blondes''. In 2009, she began portraying the role of Kim Fox in the BBC soap ...
as the title character in ''Sam's Game'', a
Friends ''Friends'' is an American television sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004, lasting ten seasons. With an ensemble cast starring Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa ...
-style sitcom. Slammed by the critics, it aired just once. McCall has voiced the android Davina McCall in the 2005 ''
Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...
'' episode "
Bad Wolf "Bad Wolf" is the twelfth episode of the revived first series of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. The episode was first broadcast on BBC One on 11 June 2005. It is the first of a two-part story. The concluding episo ...
", and in 2008 she played herself as both a human and a zombie in ''
Dead Set ''Dead Set'' is a British zombie horror miniseries written and created by Charlie Brooker and directed by Yann Demange. The show takes place primarily on the set of a fictional series of the real television show '' Big Brother''. The five epi ...
'', a five-part horror parody of ''Big Brother'' set in the house. In documentary television, McCall has fronted ''Let's Talk Sex'' about
sex education Sex education, also known as sexual education, sexuality education or sex ed, is the instruction of issues relating to human sexuality, including emotional relations and responsibilities, human sexual anatomy, Human sexual activity, sexual acti ...
and how it is taught in the United Kingdom (which then had one of the countries of Europe with the highest
teenage pregnancy Teenage pregnancy, also known as adolescent pregnancy, is pregnancy in a female adolescent or young adult under the age of 20. This includes those who are legally considered adults in their country. The WHO defines adolescence as the period bet ...
levels). She also published a companion book to the series. McCall has also appeared in a video for schools called "Watch Over Me," talking about her drug addiction and peer pressure. McCall is also the face of cosmetics brand
Garnier Garnier () is a mass market cosmetics brand of French cosmetics company L'Oréal. It produces hair care and skin care products. Launch ''Laboratoires Garnier'' was founded in France in 1904 by Alfred Amour Garnier. The company's first product ...
in the United Kingdom. In August 2014, McCall was one of 200 public figures who were signatories to a letter to ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' expressing their hope that Scotland would vote to remain part of the United Kingdom in September's referendum on that issue.


Personal life


Family

Her first marriage was to Andrew Leggett in 1997. In June 2000 McCall married her second husband Matthew Robertson, presenter of '' Pet Rescue'', at
Eastnor Castle Eastnor Castle, Eastnor, Herefordshire, is a 19th-century mock castle. Eastnor was built for John Cocks, 1st Earl Somers, who employed Robert Smirke, later the main architect of the British Museum. The castle was built between 1811 and 1820. ...
,
Herefordshire Herefordshire () is a county in the West Midlands of England, governed by Herefordshire Council. It is bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh counties of Monmouthshire ...
. Together they had three children: two daughters, Holly and Tilly, and a son, Chester. In November 2017 the couple separated. McCall's previous partners included family friend
Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is often regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s list of ...
.Davina McCall Profile
Biogs.com. URL accessed 3 September 2006 He also helped her when in her early 20s she developed a drug problem; it was only after overcoming this that she gained her own television show on MTV. She gave up smoking when she was 24. McCall is fluent in French, as her mother is French.


Ancestry

McCall's ancestry was examined for a 2009 episode of '' Who Do You Think You Are?''. With the help of historians Jean-Marc Berliere and
Simon Kitson Simon Kitson (born  1967) is a British historian. Kitson did his undergraduate studies at the University of Ulster and his post-graduate studies at the University of Sussex, under the supervision of Roderick Kedward. His doctoral thesi ...
, McCall learned that she is the great-granddaughter of onetime Prefect of Police
Célestin Hennion Célestin Hennion CVO (8 September 1862 – 14 March 1915) was a French police officer who rose to head the Prefecture of Police (french: Préfecture de Police). He was responsible for the reorganisation of the Préfecture and the introductio ...
(1862–1915), and the great-great-great-granddaughter, on her father's side, of James Thomas Bedborough (1787–1860), a
stonemason Stonemasonry or stonecraft is the creation of buildings, structures, and sculpture using stone as the primary material. It is one of the oldest activities and professions in human history. Many of the long-lasting, ancient shelters, temples, mo ...
, councillor, Mayor, property developer and entrepreneur, who worked on
Windsor Castle Windsor Castle is a royal residence at Windsor in the English county of Berkshire. It is strongly associated with the English and succeeding British royal family, and embodies almost a millennium of architectural history. The original cast ...
and Upton Park in
Slough Slough () is a town and unparished area in the unitary authority of the same name in Berkshire, England, bordering west London. It lies in the Thames Valley, west of central London and north-east of Reading, at the intersection of the M4 ...
. Bedborough was said to be an illegitimate son of
George IV George IV (George Augustus Frederick; 12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from the death of his father, King George III, on 29 January 1820, until his own death ten y ...
according to a story told by McCall's grandmother, but this was neither proved nor disproved on the show. Participants in the programme included Françoise Hennion (Hennion's granddaughter and McCall's mother's cousin) and Pierre, Hennion's son and McCall's grandfather. Pierre gave McCall his father's
Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order (french: Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the British monarch, Canadian monarch, Australian monarch, o ...
medal. McCall met
Alfred Dreyfus Alfred Dreyfus ( , also , ; 9 October 1859 – 12 July 1935) was a French artillery officer of Jewish ancestry whose trial and conviction in 1894 on charges of treason became one of the most polarizing political dramas in modern French history. ...
's great-granddaughter, Yael Ruiz, after learning of the part her ancestor Célestin Hennion played in the
Dreyfus affair The Dreyfus affair (french: affaire Dreyfus, ) was a political scandal that divided the French Third Republic from 1894 until its resolution in 1906. "L'Affaire", as it is known in French, has come to symbolise modern injustice in the Francop ...
.


Charity work

In February 2014, McCall undertook a BT
Sport Relief ''Sport Relief'' was a biennial charity event from Comic Relief, in association with BBC Sport, established in 2002. It was the idea of Kevin Cahill, CBE, who had joined Comic Relief in 1991 to establish a new department as Director of Educat ...
challenge called 'Davina – Beyond Breaking Point', seven days of either running, swimming or cycling across the UK to raise money for the UK charity Sport Relief. This challenge was filmed by the BBC as a one-off 60-minute documentary which aired on 20 March 2014 at 21:00 on BBC One. During the live telethon, it was announced that McCall had raised over £2.2 million for
Sport Relief 2014 Sport Relief 2014 is a fundraising event organised by Sport Relief. A number of run-up events took place and the main event consisted of a live telethon broadcast on BBC One and BBC Two from the evening of Friday 21 March 2014 to early the follow ...
.


Filmography


Television

;Guest appearances *'' The Kumars at No. 42'' (2001) *''
Top Gear Top Gear may refer to: * "Top gear", the highest gear available in a vehicle's manual transmission Television * ''Top Gear'' (1977 TV series), a British motoring magazine programme * ''Top Gear'' (2002 TV series), a relaunched version of the or ...
'' (2005) *''
Room 101 The Ministry of Truth, the Ministry of Peace, the Ministry of Love, and the Ministry of Plenty are the four ministries of the government of Oceania in the 1949 dystopian novel ''Nineteen Eighty-Four'', by George Orwell. The use of contradictory ...
'' (2007, 2017) *''
Question Time A question time in a parliament occurs when members of the parliament ask questions of government ministers (including the prime minister), which they are obliged to answer. It usually occurs daily while parliament is sitting, though it can be ca ...
'' (2007) *''
The Paul O'Grady Show ''The Paul O'Grady Show'' is a British comedy chat show presented by comedian Paul O'Grady, first shown on 11 October 2004. The programme is a teatime chat show consisting of a mixture of celebrity guests, comic stunts, musical performances, an ...
'' (2008, 2015) *'' Would I Lie to You?'' (2008, 2009) *'' Chris Moyles' Quiz Night'' (2009) *'' Who Do You Think You Are?'' (2009) *'' Alan Carr: Chatty Man'' (2009, 2010, 2012, 2013) *''
Celebrity Juice ''Celebrity Juice'' is a British television comedy panel game on ITV2, broadcast since 24 September 2008. The show is written and presented by Leigh Francis in the role of his alter ego Keith Lemon, and its current team captains Laura Whitmore ...
'' (2010, 2011, 2012, 2014) *'' A Comedy Roast'' (2010) *'' This Morning'' (2011, 2013, 2014, 2015) *''
The Jonathan Ross Show ''The Jonathan Ross Show'' is a British comedy chat show presented by Jonathan Ross. It was first broadcast on ITV on 3 September 2011 and airs on Saturday evenings following the conclusion of Ross' BBC One chat show, ''Friday Night with Jonatha ...
'' (2014) *''
Mel and Sue Mel Giedroyc (born 5 June 1968) and Sue Perkins (born 22 September 1969), known collectively as Mel and Sue, are an English comedy double act. They are known for hosting the BAFTA Award-winning BBC One cookery series ''The Great British Bake ...
'' (2015) *''
Through the Keyhole ''Through the Keyhole'' is a British comedy panel game show created by the TV producer Kevin Sim and originally presented by Sir David Frost in the studio and Loyd Grossman on location. The location presenter goes around celebrities' houses and ...
'' (2015) *''Alan Carr's 12 Stars of Christmas'' (2016) *'' Alan Davies: As Yet Untitled'' (2017) *'' John Bishop: In Conversation With...'' (2017) *'' Celebrity Catchphrase'' (2019)


Fitness DVDs

*''Davina: Power of 3'' (released 27 December 2004) *''Davina – My Three 30 Minute Workouts'' (released 5 December 2005) *''Davina – My Pre & Post Natal Workouts'' (released 5 March 2007) *''Davina – High Energy Five'' (released 3 December 2007) *''Davina – Super Body Workout'' (released 8 December 2008) *''Davina Fit'' (released 7 December 2009) *''Davina – Body Buff'' (released 6 December 2010) *''Davina – Ultimate Target'' (released 5 December 2011) *''Davina Intense'' (released 10 December 2012) *''Davina – Fit in 15'' (released 2 December 2013) *''Davina: 7 Minute Fit'' (released 26 December 2014) *''Davina: 5 Week Fit'' (released 26 December 2015) *''Davina: 30 Day Fat Burn'' (released 26 December 2016) *''Davina: Toned in 10'' (released 26 December 2017)


Bibliography

*''Davina's 5 Weeks to Sugar Free'' (released 8 January 2015) *''Davina's Smart Carbs'' (released 31 December 2015) *''Lessons I've Learned'' (released 22 September 2016) *''Davina's Sugar-Free in a Hurry'' (released 29 December 2016) *''Menopausing'' (released 15 September 2022)


References


External links

*
Twitter
* {{DEFAULTSORT:McCall, Davina 1967 births Living people English game show hosts English people of French descent English television actresses English television presenters English television talk show hosts People educated at Godolphin and Latymer School People educated at St Catherine's School, Bramley People from Wadhurst People from Wimbledon, London Television personalities from London