Davina McCall on why she doesn't parent her adult children

Here, the mother-of-three shares how her life has changed dramatically since her two daughters left home, her view on 'empty nest' syndrome and how her years of 'mum guilt' are now firmly behind her...

TV personality, fitness guru and author Davina McCall needs little introduction; having been a household name for over 30 years. From her early days hosting Channel 4’s Streetmate and Big Brother to the Masked Singer and in more recent times, ITV’s My Mum Your Dad – which has been renewed for a second season – Davina is a permanent fixture on our screens.

Here, the 56-year-old talks about how she juggles work with parenting her three children; 22-year-old Holly, 20-year-old Tilly and 17-year-old son Chester, whom she shares with her ex-husband Matthew Robertson. She also reveals how she is enjoying a bit of freedom in her life now her eldest two daughters have moved out of the family home.

Your career has gone from strength to strength. How did you manage work around family life when your children were little?

"It was a constant juggle. When the children were younger, even 10 years ago, it was chaotic. Our house was always full of the kids’ friends coming and going and I was the designated taxi mum, just like every other working mum, trying to work whilst chauffeuring the kids everywhere. I always had mum guilt. I’d be away filming a show and constantly thinking, 'I hope the kids are okay, has the dog been walked, what am I making them for dinner?'

"However, my work always made me happy and was good for me but there was always a spanner thrown in the works if one of the kids was poorly or someone needed picking up – that is what all of us working mums have to juggle. It was literally spinning plates and hoping for the best."

And now, how has life changed with your kids getting older?

"Gosh, so much has changed, I mean my house is pretty much silent. Over the past couple of years with Chester getting older and Holly and Tilly having left home, I’ve realised that the adult kids are not so interested in hanging out with me in the same way as they used to. That’s normal.

"We are still so close and speak all the time, even with Tilly living on the other side of the world in Australia. When kids leave home parents often say they have a clean home but she was so super tidy, I can’t even say I don’t miss the mess as Tilly was the neatest of us all. When she is at home, everything is put away nicely."

Do you still parent your ‘adult’ kids?

"No! Well, as an example, I didn’t want Tilly to have a public Instagram account and made her keep it private until she was 18 and then she could do what she wanted. And she did, she immediately went public! She is so funny, grown up and ambitious. Like Holly, once they leave home they become super-independent so I can’t parent them anymore. It’s more like me going to them for advice.

"With the girls away from home they have left so many of their clothes so I go into their wardrobes and wear them. That’s when they adult me as they see a social media post of me in one of their jackets and tell me off. I joke I can do what I like when they are not at home.

"The same goes for makeup and skincare which they’d occasionally borrow off me, even though I told them to keep their hands off and buy their own. When the girls were younger I would worry about what they were putting on their skin may be too chemically enhanced and that’s why I have always loved working with Garnier [as an ambassador] as its products are derived from nature."

Now the children are grown-up, how has your life changed? What’s it like suddenly having more time to yourself?

"With the kids older, it has freed me up to really enjoy working as I absolutely love what I do. I used to feel guilty all the time and now I can throw myself into work and embrace it. I don’t have that constant worry about what happens if one of the kids is too poorly to go to school, that sort of thing. Now I feel I have a new lease of life being able to grab every work opportunity offered to me and that helps keep my mind off the empty nest. I feel as though I have a second wind, if I want to go away for a weekend I now can do so without having to sort the kids out. That feels good.

"I’m proud of my age and I know I am lucky to have heaps of energy and enjoy what I do for a living. I actually think I am the happiest in this decade that I ever have been. I’ve always been a hustler when it comes to work and I’m constantly hustling now, embracing every bit of work that comes my way."

As a fitness guru, what does exercise mean to you?

"I absolutely love fitness; it’s not just about making me feel good on the outside but it is hugely beneficial for my mental health and keeping my body strong. I throw myself into everything but one thing I am yet to try is hip-hop as I love to dance and I’ve always wanted to try it but I can’t seem to remember a routine.

"I feel I have got all my menopause symptoms under control and everything is working just fine but I wonder if maybe a bit of brain fog is getting in the way. I’d love to give some welly to hip-hop, I just need to find a good dance teacher who can help me memorise the moves!

"I’m all about grasping life by the balls, trying new things and having fun. I appreciate everything I have and feel the quote 'live every minute as though it’s your last' is more relevant to me as I’ve got older. People would say it and I’d think, 'What on earth are they on about?' but as I’ve grown older I really do understand just how precious life is."

Garnier celebrates 10 Years of Micellar Water with brand ambassador, Davina McCall.

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