Photo by Mike Marsland/WireImage
The TV presenter and fitness guru, Davina McCall, has become quite the household name. We’ve seen her presenting shows like Long Lost Family and This Time Next Year. But, it’s her wonderful workout routines that really have us hooked. She has 14 workout DVDs to her name as well as several healthy recipe books. But, to Davina, life isn’t all about looking good.
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Here’s what Davina McCall has to say about living a healthy, happy life…
Davina McCall on life in her 50s…
“Today, I feel satisfied in life – when you get older, nothing really bothers you that much,” says Davina.
She says it’s great that she doesn’t have as many dramas anymore. Her kids are in a good place and settling down into teenage years. And, she’s closer to the friends she’s known for 40 years.
According to Davina, there’s a certain level of comfort that comes with that.
On her next big adventure…
“I’m building a house!” After a fairly traumatic divorce from her ex-husband, Matthew, Davina is excited to tackling a new, more positive challenge.
“It was tough for the kids when we sold our house after Matthew and I split, so it’s nice to say, ‘Fresh house, fresh start’.”
Davina and her two children, Holly, 18, and Tilly, 16, have been renting and trying to find a plot of land. Though this is going to be a stressful year, Davina and her family are excited to be starting the next phase of their lives. Where everyone gets to choose where they want their bedrooms.
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Davina McCall on losing weight and staying healthy…
According to Davina, weight is not about the social norm of acceptance. “It isn’t about telling people, ‘You should be a size 10.’ It’s about asking, ‘Where are you comfortable?'” And, Davina says she’s comfortable at a size 10 to 12 – that’s her happy place.
“I can’t be a size 8, my build just isn’t made for it,” says Davina.
We love Davina’s never-ending sense of humour…
Davina also runs a website called Own Your Goals offering online workout classes, delicious recipes and a support group for those who sign up.
She says, though, that they’re always a bit scared of using the term ‘weight loss’. “Because we don’t want people to think they have to lose weight,” says Davina.
Generally, though, she’s found that women who talk to her about health and fitness do want to lose weight – she’s yet to meet someone who’s super slim and wants to add a few pounds.
Davina says, “We’re really embarrassed about talking about that, but it’s nobody saying, ‘you should be thinner’ – it’s women who want to do it for themselves.”
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What’s Davina’s attitude to ageing?
“I thought I’d be wearing a cardigan, woolly tights, and have taken up knitting in my 50s,” says Davina.
As a girl, she was brought up by her granny and says she had a fairly warped view of what being 50 looked like. Her gran was from a completely different generation where people were old before their time.
But today, Davina believes women in their 50s are given a very different type of respect. Before, they might have been cast aside, but now midlife women are starting businesses and tackling new projects, “You’re at the beginning of something, rather than the end,” says Davina.
By Features Editor Stephanie van der Plank
