Advertisement

Davina McCall, 51, addresses fitness backlash and admits she's addicted to exercise

Addicted
Davina McCall is famed for her impressive bikini selfies [Photo: Instagram]

Davina McCall has become a headline fixture in recent months for her six-pack bikini selfies and string of workout DVDs. In fact, the 51-year-old is so into her fitness regime, she’s admitted she considers herself to be addicted to exercise.

McCall made a guest appearance on ‘This Morning’ and opened up to presenters, Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford, about the social media backlash she faces on a daily basis in regards to her love of keeping fit.

“People are like, ‘are you addicted to exercise?’. I could think of worse things to be addicted to,” she admitted. “If I could, I would go five or six times a week.”

The television presenter, who famously struggled with a drug and alcohol addiction in the past, also took the opportunity to open up about how she deals with online trolls.

“What I love about social media is that it is a way to respond in your own way, you’ve got a voice,” she revealed. “That’s quite interesting and I always think it’s a good thing and also a bad thing. There are times I want to respond, and I’m not going to, and that’s hard. I sit on my hands and think, ‘don’t do it’.”

McCall is often praised for the bikini selfies she shares via Instagram but the social media platform also gives trolls a voice with many accusing her of being ‘far too thin’.

Some followers have even gone so far as to accuse McCall of encouraging eating disorders.

In response, McCall admitted: “I don’t care what people say about that, because if I believed I was a bad role model I wouldn’t do what I was doing. Everybody is going to have an opinion, I try not to read it too much.”

“I just think, ‘I’m going to post this. I’m 51, I feel in good shape’, and I know that looking at other people’s posts, I follow people to be inspired. I don’t follow people to troll them.”

Last month, McCall took to Instagram to share a defiant message to critics alongside a bikini snap.

“Don’t care what you think,” she wrote. “I feel good in my skin. And leading a healthy life is a huge part of why I feel body positive. I don’t judge anyone for the life they choose or the shape they are. Life is too frickin’ short… if you hate all of this stuff then seriously unfollow me.”


Follow us on Instagram and Facebook for non-stop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day. For Twitter updates, follow @YahooStyleUK.

Read more from Yahoo Style UK:

Alesha Dixon celebrates 40th birthday with swimwear shoot

Davina McCall responds to bikini picture controversy by posting comparison image from same day

Davina McCall, 51, posts bikini selfie along with defiant message for critics – ‘I don’t care what you think’