Skip to main contentSkip to footer

Davina McCall reduced to tears as she shares story of sister's tragic death

The TV star made an appearance on Celebrity Bake Off


davina mccall solo
Ainhoa Barcelona
Content Managing Editor
April 3, 2019
Share this:

Davina McCall struggled to fight back tears during a highly emotional appearance on The Great British Bake Off. Recording her story for the celebrity special for Stand Up To Cancer, Davina became visibly upset as she recalled the moment her half-sister Caroline was told she had lung cancer in 2012. "I remember, I was so confused," she said. "I thought, surely, she's had a stroke. But the doctor came in and said, 'I'm afraid it's not good news, you have tumours in both lungs.'"

Davina, 51, continued: "She was my big sister. So I was used to her looking after me. But I had to look after her. I remember saying to her, 'It's going to be fine,' but had to step outside and remember thinking to myself, 'What am I going to do?'"

davina mccall on bake off© Photo: Twitter

Davina's half-sister Caroline died of lung cancer

The TV presenter spent every day with Caroline following the diagnosis, bar "three or four". Davina recalled: "I slept on her floor next to her bed holding her hand. And I could hear her breathing. I closed my eyes and I heard her breathing differently. I opened my eyes and thought, 'I think she's going.'"

MORE: Princess Eugenie surprises with never-before-seen wedding photo

A tearful Davina added: "The fact that I was there with her, I hope meant a lot to her because it meant so much to me. How do I move on? I do move on, life goes on. She lives on with my children. We celebrate with my children. We celebrate her birthday. We try to forget the day she died. What I miss the most now about Caroline is just talking. I miss talking."

Davina shares her top tips for looking after yourself:

MORE: Strictly's Debbie McGee flooded with support from fans on bittersweet day

Davina is a firm advocate for Stand Up To Cancer and also wrote about her sister's passing in her book, Lessons I've Learned. Speaking on This Morning about her book, she previously revealed: "She didn't have much. She was terrible with money and finance but everything that she had, she gave away before she died. She was just amazing but when she went it was so peaceful, she was so peaceful."

Make sure you never miss a CELEBRITY story! Sign up to our newsletter to get all of our celebrity, royal and lifestyle news delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up to HELLO! Daily for all the latest and best celebrity coverage

By entering your details, you are agreeing to HELLO! Magazine User Data Protection Policy. You can unsubscribe at any time. For more information, please click here.

More Celebrity News

See more