Davina McCall is as fresh-faced and full of life as ever. The 57-year-old has partnered with supplement brand Ancient & Brave, and as we sit down to talk all things beauty and self-love, she tells me why she’s so thoroughly enjoying life in her 50s.
‘I definitely feel like I'm more settled and safer, and less like I’m ready to escape drama at any time,' she says. 'That's kind of what I felt like from having an alcoholic parent - you're constantly reading the room and on high alert. I think that stayed with me for a lot of my life. And then I hit 50, and everything started to change. It's quite interesting how mother nature, or the universe, or whatever you want to call it, gives you a time in your life where you're a bit happier in yourself.’
Anyone familiar with Davina's story knows that this didn’t magically happen overnight. Davina- who now shares Holly, 22, Tilly, 21, and Chester, 17, with her ex-husband Matthew Robinson- has been open about suffering with drug addiction for years before a friend finally intervened and she began attending Narcotics Anonymous meetings. Since then, the presenter has transformed her life through years of hard work and self-reflection.
‘I spent a lot of time in my life doing work on myself, trying to look at my behaviour and think, “Actually, you’ve got to look at what you did there.” I want to take responsibility for my actions, I want to say, “What was my part in that? Could I have done that differently? Do I owe that person an apology?” Keeping my side of the street clean emotionally has made me much happier. I can go through life and not feel caught up in resentments or anger. I take responsibility for my actions sometimes good, sometimes not good, and make sure that I’m honest with myself.’
Despite loving her fifth decade, Davina- who has been dating hairstylist Michael Douglas since 2019 – wasn’t thrilled at the idea of aging. ‘If I'm honest, I didn't want to get older. But, as I've got older, social media allows me to see other women who are older than me growing up in a really cool way. Helen Mirren has got to be my first complete icon. Iris Apfel, bless her, she's not with us anymore, but she was amazing. The clothes that she wore, she was screaming, “Look at me!” even at 100. Confidence in a woman is so attractive, and it's not about how young you look, it’s about how you feel about being the age that you are.’
While she has plenty of her own role models, to Davina, that title doesn’t feel like it fits her. ‘What’s quite nice is I don't feel like a role model, but if anybody gets anything from me just being me, that is a really nice thing, right? If somebody goes, “Oh, I like what you wear,” then I'm like, “Oh, bloody hell, that's nice.” But I'm not changing myself to be a role model. I'm just being myself, and what I am is happy.’
Now, she’s partnered with Ancient & Brave, which she feels is a ‘completely natural fit’ for her. ‘It is a brand that I already used, so it's nice. Their Noble Collagen is my latest obsession- I'm going to definitely start taking that. I already take magnesium, the omegas, the collagen. It's just this trickle-down thing when you've got a great founder who fosters a really nice atmosphere in a business, and they’re always thinking about how to improve and help women.’
Davina McCall is now an ambassador for Ancient + Brave. Find out more at ancientandbrave.earth.