Davina McCall has opened up about a deeply emotional moment where a simple parenting mistake left her in tears, resurfacing painful memories of being abandoned by her own mother. The 58-year-old TV presenter admitted that the mishap, which occurred on her daughter Tilly’s first day at nursery, caused her to experience a breakdown as it triggered her unresolved childhood trauma.
On the latest episode of Marisa Peer’s podcast Your Mind, Your Rules, Davina shared the raw story of how she arrived an hour late to pick up Tilly, only to find that another parent had already taken her home. Overcome with emotion, she found herself unable to drive, breaking down in the car before going to the home of Tilly’s guardian, Nicola, for reassurance.
Davina McCall teared up as she recalled how a parenting mishap brought back painful childhood memories of being abandoned by her own mother
As she recounted the events, Davina couldn’t help but feel as though she was reliving the same abandonment she had faced as a child. “Nicola was like, ‘Yes, of course, she’s in the garden, husking corn, having a blast.’ But I felt like this was how I used to feel with my own mother,” she confessed, her voice trembling with emotion.
Davina’s childhood was marked by abandonment. Her mother, Florence, left when Davina was just three, and she was told that her mother had gone skiing, but never returned. “I was never 100% sure that I was going to get collected from the airport,” Davina recalled, her words heavy with the weight of years of emotional pain.
The TV presenter, 58, admitted that on her youngest daughter Tilly’s first day of nursery she was an hour late to collect her – which caused her to breakdown as it triggered past trauma
Marisa, a renowned therapist, explained how children often internalize abandonment, believing they are somehow at fault. This deep-rooted belief can carry into adulthood, affecting the way individuals view themselves and their relationships. “Children take ownership of the problem in order to make sense of them. So when a mother abandons a child, the child has to own that and say, ‘This is my fault,’” Marisa said. “And once they buy into that, they carry it with them.”
Davina’s heartbreaking revelation also tied into her struggles with addiction in her 20s, which she described as an emotional void she was desperately trying to fill. “I called it a colander. When I was high, I’d feel safe, and then it would trickle out,” she shared.
The emotional journey to healing wasn’t easy. As part of her recovery, Davina was given a pocket mirror by her sponsor and asked to say, “I love you” to her reflection each night. At first, she couldn’t do it. “I burst into tears the first time,” she admitted. “I couldn’t even do that.” It took a month before she could say, “I like you,” and it wasn’t until a year later that she could truly express self-love.
It was only in the last five years that Davina believes she fully embraced the concept of self-love. “I love you, warts and all. Unconditional,” she said, finally accepting herself for who she truly was.
Davina’s journey of healing and self-discovery continues to inspire others, showing that even through immense pain, growth and self-compassion are possible.
Source: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/
