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TV presenter Davina McCall has said she is “almost embarassed” by how much it means to her to receive Edinburgh TV Festival’s 2026 outstanding achievement award.
Speaking in conversation with in conversation ahead of the festival awards ceremony on Thursday evening, McCall was visibly emotional as she talked about the honour.
“It means a lot,” she told the TV festival audience.
“I’m almost embarassed by how much it means to me.”
The Edinburgh TV Festival’s 2026 outstanding achievement award was presented to McCall in honour of her 30-year career on television.
McCall first had her TV debut on MTV, then spent a decade hosting Big Brother.
She has also featured in multiple shows, including Bafta award-winning series Long Lost Family, Million Pound Drop and The Masked Singer.
In a wide ranging on-stage interview with her friend and Long Lost Family co-presenter Nicky Campbell, McCall said she would not change a thing about her life or career.
She spoke about her difficult and public divorce, her past health troubles.
Asked about the downsides of fame, McCall said her divorce was “tough”.
“I felt a bit like a Kardashian when my divorce was announced,” she said.
The 58-year-old also touched on receiving a breast cancer diagnosis in October last year. In April, she said she had received the “all clear” following surgery.
It came after she previously underwent surgery in 2024 to remove a benign brain tumour.
