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Davina McCall opens up on 'frightening' overdose which landed her in hospital

Davina McCall attending The Masked Singer press launch held at The Mayfair Hotel, London. (Photo by Scott Garfitt/PA Images via Getty Images)
Davina McCall attending The Masked Singer press launch held at The Mayfair Hotel, London. (Photo by Scott Garfitt/PA Images via Getty Images)

Davina McCall has opened up about suffering from drug addiction during her 20s which left her hospitalised after an overdose.

The 52-year-old is best known for her quirky presenting style on TV favourites such as Big Brother, but she was discussing far more sombre subjects in a recent event addressing 130 inner-city school girls as part of International Women’s Day.

As reported by The Sun, McCall told the audience: “Drugs took me to a very, very, very dark place and, one night, I overdosed.

Read more: ITV axe Davina McCall's 'This Time Next Year' after three years

“It was very frightening as it was a very gradual overdose. I’d had a cocktail of drugs, because I didn’t want to feel normal. I was constantly trying to escape myself — I was like a piece of fruit rotting from the inside.

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“So then I thought, ‘Well, I’ll just take a valium’, and the next thing I knew I woke up in hospital. At my lowest point, when I was filled with self hatred, it was literally a case of ‘get clean, or die’.”

Davina McCall (left) wins the Best Host and Digital Spy Legend Awards, with Claudia Winkleman at the Bloomsbury Ballroom, in London.   (Photo by Ian West - PA Images/PA Images via Getty Images)
Davina McCall (left) wins the Best Host and Digital Spy Legend Awards, with Claudia Winkleman at the Bloomsbury Ballroom, in London. (Photo by Ian West - PA Images/PA Images via Getty Images)

The overdose acted as a wake up call for the presenter who started attending Narcotics Anonymous meetings shortly after and was clean within a year.

she also revealed she still attends NA meetings and therapy sessions if she feels like she needs “a top-up”.

Read more: Davina McCall reveals 'emotional turmoil' of divorce

She said she started partying at just 13-years-old and quickly moved on to cannabis before going on to becoming “a heroin addict” saying she “hated herself so much” due to being full of “self-loathing”.

However, after her frightening overdose ordeal, her best friend, dad and step-mother helped her get clean.

Also talking on the panel was Strictly Come Dancing host Claudia Winkleman, who discussed her battles with anxiety, and footballer turned analyst and celebrity Alex Scott who revealed she was left needing therapy after a year of hateful online abuse.