I Want to Look Really Good for My Age, Not 10 Years Younger

TV presenter Davina McCall chats to us about her unusual childhood, forcing herself to work out and running with cheetahs in Namibia

Davina, 49, presents several reality TV shows like This Time Next Year, which sees ordinary people set goals to transform their lives in a matter of months; and Long Lost Family, where relatives are reunited after being separated for years. Her show Life at the Extreme – aired on ITV Choice – saw her travelling to the Kalahari Desert for one episode, where she interacted with cheetahs. She also runs a bespoke fitness service online, Get Fit With Davina (see get fit with davina. com). Davina lives in England with her husband Matthew Robertson, who runs an adventure business, and their three kids – Holly, 15, Tilly, 13, and Chester, 10.

I often hear from women who aren’t happy with their bodies – and feel they can’t do anything about it. But you’re never too old or too unfit to change – any big change starts with one tiny step.

I’ve always got about a million things I should be doing, other than exercise. There’s work, sorting out things for the kids; I want to be a good wife and make nice food for the family. But exercising is something I do just for me and even though I don’t look forward to it, the minute I’m doing it, I think “I love this” and I’m proud of myself for doing it.

Starting Get Fit With Davina was a brave step for me. We launched in 2015, and because it’s a subscription service, it was important to me that people felt they were getting a good deal. I’m incredibly proud that people like my fitness DVDs, but it was scary doing something I wasn’t sure about. We tailor-make a workout and recipe plan based on your goal. My own constant goal is maintenance, which can sometimes be harder than losing weight.