Davina McCall has revealed why she broke down in tears when she was awarded the Special Recognition prize at the NTAs last year. 

The presenter, 56, was given the gong for her near three-decade long career on screen,  and received a standing ovation from the crowd at London's O2 Arena. 

In an emotional VT, telly pals Dermot O'Leary, Alison Hammond and Claudia Winkleman opened up about their friendships as they heaped praise on her career. 

It left Davina in tears as she collected the award from Hannah Waddingham. 

Now, Davina has revealed the reason she was so emotional, opening up on her terrifying brain tumour ordeal that saw her go under the knife.

She told The Mirror: 'Last year, I knew I had a brain tumour and I knew I was being operated on six weeks later, and I picked up the award which meant so much to me.

'Everybody else knew why it meant so much to me, it just meant the world to me because I wasn't sure where I was going to be six weeks later.'

In April, Davina confirmed a 'final MRI' scan had shown that the colloid cyst was 'not coming back' after the surgery to remove it in November 2024. 

The presenter admitted she feared she would die undergoing the surgery. 

She told Good Housekeeping UK: 'I've been terrified of dying my whole life - my mum died quite young, my dad died quite young, and my sister died very young.

'I thought: "I have to come to terms with the fact that I might not make it, so what do I have to do to make that OK?" 

'I had to let go of the outcome and be able to go to sleep without the abject horror of the idea of dying.'

Davina's tumour was found when she was offered a health check-up as part of her advocacy work on the menopause, which included two Channel 4 documentaries. 

The documentaries were among the work that were noted as being behind the decision to hand her the Special Recognition gong last September. 

Breaking down in tears in front of the crowd, Davina told audiences: 'This means so much, I can't even begin to tell you, I don't even know where to start'

Paying tribute to her boyfriend, Michael Douglas, she added: 'I love being on this journey with you. You make me a better person and you make me so happy.'

Davina is the host of of some of ITV's biggest show, including The Masked Singer and middle-aged dating show, My Mum, Your Dad. 

Her career took off back in 2000 when she launched Big Brother on Channel 4. 

She's since gone on to host ITV's Long Lost Family, and Channel 4's Million Pound Drop, and most recently, the BBC's Stranded on Honeymoon Island. 

Davina joined a list of prestigious stars who have previously collected the Special Recognition Award.

Sarah Lancashire, Sir Lenny Henry, David Dimbleby and the late Paul O’Grady have all previously won the award.