Davina McCall on embracing her fifties and ‘shedding the shackles of inhibition’

TV presenter Davina McCall has spoken about embracing being in her fifties, saying it is a time of “shedding the shackles of inhibition and of giving a damn”.

The former Big Brother presenter, 54, has also told of her approach to exercise and how it is about more than just being able to wear a bikini.

McCall, who is the cover star of the January/February edition of Women’s Health, said of embracing her fifties: “It’s a time of liberation.

“It’s a time of shedding the shackles of inhibition and of giving a damn… Because I haven’t always felt like that.

“It’s not just being on telly and it’s not just being a show-off.

“It’s that I don’t really care what people think, which is very liberating.

“I’ve never met a more kind of rowdy bunch of irreverent people than menopausal women. When we’re left to our own devices, we are very bloody funny.”

The TV star highlighted a lack of medical knowledge in her Channel 4 documentary Davina McCall: Sex, Myths and The Menopause, earlier this year, in which she discussed her own menopause journey and hormone replacement therapy (HRT).

In October she joined other famous names like Penny Lancaster and Mariella Frostrup at a rally in Parliament Square, where the crowed celebrated as the Government pledged more menopause support and reduced HRT costs.

Last month, Channel 4 announced a follow-up documentary, which will see her further explore the menopause in a programme with a working title of Davina McCall: The Menopause Brain Drain, in which she will focus on menopause at work.

Discussing using her voice and platform, she said: “With the success of the documentary and then the subsequent outpouring from people that they just don’t have enough information, I realised that there’s still so much information to give.

“I have a platform that I can use to get the message out there. If I was going to ever use it for anything, this is my time to use what I’ve got.”

Over the last few years she has championed the benefits of keeping fit and exercise, including launching her own online fitness platform (Own Your Goals), exercise equipment, fitness DVDs and cookbooks.

She told the magazine: “If I feel that I’ve had a slobby couple of weeks and I have put on a bit of weight or I need to tone up, I will lower my calorie intake and exercise maybe a tiny bit harder… (But) for me, working out isn’t just for Christmas and New Year.

“It’s not just to get in the bikini. It’s to stay alive longer, and I really enjoy the way that it helps my head stay clear of negativity. It’s just a win-win in every sense.”

The full interview is out in the next issue of Women’s Health UK on sale from December 30.