British TV presenter Davina McCall has undergone neurosurgery to remove a colloid cyst – a type of benign brain tumour.

McCall was diagnosed with the tumour by chance. In an Instagram video posted in November 2024, she explained:

A few months ago, I did a menopause talk for a company and they offered me a health scan in return, which I thought I was going to ace. But it turned out I had a benign brain tumour called a colloid cyst, which is very rare – three in a million.

Colloid cysts are rare examples of fluid-filled cerebral tumours, which account for less than 1% of diagnosed brain tumours.

They develop in the ventricles – the fluid containing chamber system inside the brain – which produce cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). CSF is ultra-filtered blood which allows nutrients and important chemicals to circulate in and around the brain, and provides additional protection.

Normally, CSF passes back into the bloodstream, but different conditions – including tumours – can affect this. A growing tumour can obstruct CSF, so, instead of being able to pass back into the bloodstream, the fluid can start to accumulate inside the brain. This is called........

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