Davina McCall's romance with lifelong friend after her painful divorce

15 March 2024 , 16:00

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Davina McCall's romance with lifelong friend after her painful divorce

Comic Relief presenter Davina McCall has had her fair share of ups and downs in her love life over the years.

The twice-married star, 56, has presented some of the country's biggest TV shows throughout her decades-long career, including the original Channel 4 version of Big Brother and, more recently, ITV series My Mum, Your Dad. The mum-of-three is also known for her fitness journey and raising awareness of menopause.

But away from the spotlight, smiley Davina has faced tough times, including a "traumatic" divorce from ex-husband Matthew Robertson. They got married in 2000 and welcomed three children into the world together, but announced their shock split in 2017, just after Davina turned 50.

Davina McCall has been dating Michael Douglas since 2019, but keeps their romance low-profile (David Fisher/REX/Shutterstock for NTA)

'Privacy keeps our relationship special to us,' the TV presenter told the Mirror last year (David Fisher/REX/Shutterstock for NTA)

Now, she's happily in love with her hairdresser pal of over 20 years, Michael Douglas. Davina and Michael became a couple in 2019 and have kept their romance low-profile ever since. "We've got an agreement that I don't talk about our relationship, because our exes and kids don't have a right to reply, so it's not fair," Davina previously shared.

Despite their privacy stance, Davina and Michael do host their own podcast together, Making The Cut. "I love doing the podcast with him. It's basically an extension of what we've always done as friends, which is to recommend things to each other," Davina said of her audio venture with Michael.

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Speaking to the Mirror in September 2023, Davina gave a rare insight into her relationship. The popular presenter shared that keeping her love life out of the spotlight is key to her happiness. "I give so much of myself to the public that I need something just for me," she told us, adding that being a bit protective over her relationship helps keep the spark alive.

"Michael is so funny, he's just amazing," Davina added. "It's nice to do things together like walking the red carpet at the NTAs, and it's not like we're purposefully trying to hide away from anyone. But when you get into a couple, people start asking you questions about the nitty-gritty and I just don't want to share that."

Davina, her daughter Holly and Michael in January as the star collected her MBE (PA)

The presenter's happiness over recent years follows a period of 'emotional turmoil' after her divorce (Getty Images)

She went on to add: "Privacy keeps our relationship special to us. There's something lovely about it and that's all it is. It keeps it really magical and I like that. I would never talk about how our relationship works, about arguments or even things like what we eat for breakfast and who drives the other crazy. I want to keep that for me. I will give you guys everything. But there are one or two things that I just want to keep to myself, and he's one of them."

Davina's happiness with Michael follows her shock divorce from ex-husband Matthew Robertson, who she worked with on TV show Pet Rescue. They former couple married in 2000 at Eastnor Castle in Hertfordshire and became parents to three children together during their marriage - daughters Holly and Tilly, and son Chester.

They even renewed their wedding vows on their 15th anniversary, so it was a surprise to many when Davina announced they had separated shortly after her 50th birthday in 2017. "I am very sad to say Matthew and I have separated. Our amazing children are our number one priority," she said in a statement at the time.

In 2020, Davina opened up about their divorce and admitted it took a long time for them to sort things out after they split up."Going through a divorce is a traumatic experience and it is something that needs to be navigated as carefully as possible," she told You magazine from the Mail on Sunday. She also confessed that their divorce "involved absolute emotional turmoil."

Zoe Delaney