Davina McCall reveals secret engagement to her boyfriend after 'rollercoaster' year

Davina McCall, 57, and Michael Douglas, 52, secretly got engaged this summer.

Her celebrity hairdresser fiancé was her 'rock' during her life-saving brain operation to remove a benign brain cyst last year

“Everyone is so thrilled for them," a friend said.

After being together for seven years, the couple celebrated their betrothal by flying to the Burning Man festival in the Nevada desert three weeks ago.

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A friend told The Sun: “To say it has been a rollercoaster year for her is an understatement.

“Whilst surgery was, of course, traumatic, she made peace with a lot in the days and weeks leading up to it.

“Then, having survived, she had a new lease of life — as so many do who have been in similar situations.

“Michael was her absolute rock throughout her recovery.“If you see them together, genuinely they are like lovesick teenagers.

“Their chemistry is insane.

“Basically Davina thought ‘f*** it, life is short’, and decided it was time to, as the kids say, lock in the love of her life.”

The pair met on the set of Big Brother in the 2000s when Douglas styled her hair

They were friends for years, until McCall divorced Matthew Robertson in 2018.

The couple's friend said: “She has a ring but is only wearing it in private.

“It is wonderful news and everyone who knows them is just so thrilled.

“They really do make the most gorgeous couple.”

The TV legend was diagnosed with a rare 14mm colloid cyst on her brain in 2023, during a chance health check.

The benign cyst, which affects one in three million, was successfully removed in 2024 by neurosurgeon Kevin O’Neill - but Ms McCall revealed the unsettling side-effects she experienced during her recovery.

As well as severe side-effects on her memory and perception, Ms McCall also lost 4 kilograms of muscle during her recovery.

McCall said yesterday: “After my operation they said it will take a year to 18 months to get as good as you’re going to get.

“I keep thinking that next May I’m going to go out for dinner with Michael and say, ‘I hope this version of me is all right as this is what you’re going to get’.

“I don’t know if you think I see any difference but I am so happy.

“It is mad. I guess I am just super-grateful to be here, alive.

“I can’t believe the sliding doors that happened to get me here are magical.

“It’s been a massive journey and some has been incredibly hard.”