"I just get happier and happier the older I become

Davina McCall on regaining her self confidence, what wellbeing means to her now, and one thing she would tell her younger self

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She's not many people's idea of a wallflower or a shrinking violet, but even the bubbly, outgoing Davina McCall has suffered from a crisis of confidence at times.

'In midlife, when I became perimenopausal, I felt like I'd become invisible. Society didn't see me,' she shares.

'I felt like I'd become unattractive to men because I could no longer bear children. I had thought, “who am I? What is my use?” I wanted to disappear. However, as I've got older, I've decided I don't want to do or think like that anymore.'

The TV star is far from in the minority feeling a confidence dip. According to a 2024 Arden University confidence index, 21% of women severely lack confidence, compared to only 15% of men. The survey found that 27% of women compare themselves to someone else on a daily basis.

With pressures coming from all sides, and many women finding the world of social media particularly damaging, McCall says avoiding the comparison trap is all about finding your tribe online. 'I would recommend finding women you see as style icons and try to replicate that. I love women who wear brightly coloured clothes and I met one called Karen [Arthur] who's got an account called