Why Davina McCall stayed in her ‘unhappy’ marriage with Matthew Robertson

The couple were married between 2000 and 2017 and share three kids

Davina McCall previously revealed the real reason she stayed in an “unhappy” marriage with her ex-husband.

The TV star – who is presenting Long Lost Family on ITV1 tonight (July 16) – made the revelation in an interview in 2022.

Davina and her ex-husband split in 2017 (Credit: Channel 4)

Davina McCall on ‘unhappy’ marriage with ex-husband

In an interview with The Times, Davina revealed why she stayed in her “unhappy” marriage for so long.

Davina, 57, was married to Matthew Robertson – her second husband – for 17 years between 2000 and 2017. However, in 2017, they divorced. Matthew and Davina share three children together – Holly, 23, Tilly, 21, and Chester, 18.

In 2012, Davina was left devastated when her sister, Caroline, died after a battle with lung cancer. Caroline’s death forced Davina to confront aspects of her life that she claims she was “shoving under the carpet”.

The main issue she was avoiding was her marriage to Matthew.

Davina and Matthew were married for 17 years (Credit: SplashNews.com)

Davina McCall on split from Matthew Robertson

Speaking to The Times, Davina said: “In the end, we were living completely separate lives. We were hardly talking. It wasn’t arguing. We never argued. We just lived separate lives. And we weren’t happy.”

She then continued. “I thought, I just want to be happy, and this is really sad. We’re in a marriage and we’re in it for the kids. We love our kids, but we’re just not happy. And I thought, is that really selfish? because my parents divorced and I thought that was so selfish,” she said.

However, Davina didn’t immediately end the marriage. She and Matthew attended therapy in a bid to save their relationship. But she finally concluded: “We loved each other. But sometimes that isn’t enough.”

Since their split, Davina has found love with her long-time friend and hairdresser, Michael Douglas.

Davina and Michael are now together (Credit: SplashNews.com)

Davina sets the record straight on her relationship

On the subject of Michael, Davina previously set the record straight on her relationship with her hairdresser boyfriend.

With Michael being a famous hairdresser to the stars, Davina revealed that people assume that she calls on her boyfriend to get her hair done. However, that’s not the case.

“Everybody always says: ‘Oh you are so lucky to date a hairdresser – he must do your hair every day,’” she told OK! magazine.

“I have never ever asked him to do my hair at home because he does hair all day. It’s like saying to your builder husband: ‘Oh darling, can you build me a shed?’” she quipped.