Davina McCall tells of 'secrets' she shared with Michael Douglas before romance

In the BBC's fresh reality programme, Stranded on Honeymoon Island, Davina McCall watches as total strangers are paired together on a paradise isle in hopes they might discover romance.

However, the former Big Brother presenter's personal romantic journey has been influenced not by an unexpected encounter, but by an enduring friendship spanning decades.

Stylist Michael Douglas had been tending to Davina's tresses for nearly two decades before they eventually became a couple, with both having been wed throughout most of that period.

She revealed to The Guardian: "Michael and I were really good friends because we were a hairdresser and client. I told him all of my secrets, about how I was feeling, and he was a brilliant sounding board.

"He would share his experiences, I would share my experiences," she continued. "We would help each other navigate things. And he was in love with his wife and I was in love with my husband."

Davina parted ways with her second spouse, Matthew Robertson, host of Pet Rescue, in 2018 after 18 years of marriage and three children together.

Two years after her separation from Matthew, Davina and Michael began their romantic relationship.

She maintains that she wanted to be entirely certain she had moved on from her former partner before starting afresh: "If I'm with somebody, I'm with them," she emphasised. "I don't look at other people. I like being monogamous."

The pair made their relationship public in 2019 and revealed on their joint podcast, Making the Cut, that they had begun cohabiting in January 2023. She explained at the time: "I am quite enjoying being a new couple doing new things, because we are newly living together. It's quite nice making new traditions; we did that before Christmas. We sat down together and talked about it: 'Ok, blank space-what shall we make a tradition from now on?'"

However, despite the regular podcast updates on their romance, Davina says that certain aspects remain private. Speaking to the Mirror, she explained: "Privacy keeps our relationship special to us. There's something lovely about it, and that's all it is. It keeps it really magical, and I like that.

"I would never talk about how our relationship works, about arguments, or even things like what we eat for breakfast and who drives the other crazy. I want to keep that for me. I will give you guys everything. But there are one or two things that I just want to keep to myself, and he's one of them."

Despite being completely besotted with Michael, Davina reveals there is no discussion of marriage for now.

The twice-divorced presenter told Hello!: "It's so funny - it's a bit like being in your 30s again, when everybody asks you the same question about whether you're getting married.

"We're ensconced, but it's not part of our world at the moment. We don't really need it.

"It's a very different thing, dating in your 50s compared to your 30s. We're in a really good place and have so much fun together. I think we're really lucky to have each other."