For Davina McCall, ending her marriage to second husband Matthew Robertson in 2017 marked one of the most painful turning points of her life. The much-loved TV presenter had spent close to 20 years trying to hold the relationship together for the sake of their three children, often setting aside her own needs in the process.
But in the aftermath of the split, McCall made a life-changing choice. Rather than simply move on, she set out to create a new beginning in bricks and mortar: a dream “forever home” designed to give her and her family a fresh sense of stability.
Nearly eight years after purchasing a £3.4 million, five-bedroom property in the leafy surroundings of Tunbridge Wells, the ambitious transformation is finally complete. The renovation, however, has been anything but straightforward, bringing major disruption and a series of clashes that put her on difficult terms with some neighbours.
The finished result may now be an impressive, fully revamped family home, but McCall’s route to completing it has been overshadowed by intense planning disputes and increasingly bitter disagreements behind the scenes.
According to sources, the presenter is said to feel enormous relief now that the long-running pressure has lifted, after what became both a legal headache and an emotionally draining ordeal.
One insider said: “She deserves to enjoy this — it’s impossible to overstate the amount of blood, sweat and tears that have gone into getting this house finished.”
TV presenter Davina McCall has finished the extensive renovation of her £3.4 million, five-bedroom home in leafy Tunbridge Wells
Following the difficult collapse of her marriage to Matthew Robertson, pictured in 2011, McCall chose to create her own dream “forever home”
Her agonising journey began following her shock split from former Pet Rescue presenter Robertson at the end of 2017.
The marriage might have been dead in the water but the former couple managed to double their money after selling their East Sussex mansion, which they bought for £3.2million in 2009, for £6.25million.
Keen to move on, McCall purchased her new home on an exclusive gated estate in Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent.
Just over six months later, in November 2018, her architects at John Bullock Design submitted plans to demolish the existing five-bedroom, two-storey 1930s cottage and replace it with a much larger family home.
The proposals sparked objections from nearby residents, with one couple submitting a strongly worded two-page letter opposing McCall’s plans to build a vast basement beneath the new property.
‘We strongly object to the provision of such a basement,’ they wrote.
Their chief concern was the scale of the underground level, which they said would occupy ‘some two-thirds of the floor area of what could be referred to as the main house’.
They also warned that if rock excavation was required it would cause ‘excessive vibration, noise and dust’ for neighbouring properties.
The demolition and rebuild would also require ‘heavy lorries,’ they said, which would ‘clearly disregard the amenity of neighbours’, raising concerns about possible damage to the private road serving the estate.
The neighbours further argued the architects had described the replacement home as only ‘slightly larger’ than the existing property when, in their view, it was ‘substantially’ bigger.
Because the proposed house was not centrally positioned on the plot, they said it would appear ‘cramped within the site’ and would ‘not, in our view, benefit the street scene’.
The presenter quietly married celebrity hairstylist Michael Douglas at her dream home in a second wedding ceremony earlier this year
Douglas has said he and McCall intend to work for five more years before retiring and ‘enjoying what they’ve built’ at their Tunbridge Wells property
McCall lives in Kent with husband Douglas as well as her children Holly (pictured), Tilly and Chester
Despite the objections, planning permission was granted in April 2019. A few months later, McCall submitted revised landscaping and tree plans.
I can reveal that the house, which is where the presenter quietly married celebrity hairstylist Michael Douglas in a second wedding ceremony earlier this year, is now a four-storey property with seven bedrooms.
Despite neighbours’ objections, it now boasts a vast basement complete with a cinema room and expansive entertaining spaces.
The ground floor features three reception and dining areas, including a large open-plan kitchen and dining room, as well as an attached garage with a shower room.
The first floor is home to the principal suite, complete with a large dressing room, alongside four further en suite bedrooms.
The second floor contains two more en suite bedrooms, each with adjoining dressing rooms.
In March 2021, McCall was granted permission to build a separate 7m by 4m garden room, with planning documents stating it would allow residents to ‘enjoy the garden space in poor weather’.
Last year, she also won approval to add two first-floor balconies, opening up both the principal bedroom and a second bedroom to views of the garden.
Just two weeks ago, Douglas told me that the Tunbridge Wells home had become the couple’s sanctuary.
Although they had been together for several years, they did not officially move in together until 2023.
They tied the knot at Marylebone Town Hall in December and later exchanged vows in a much larger celebration in their new home.
The couple now live there with McCall’s three children: Holly, 24, Tilly, 22 and Chester, 19. Douglas also has two children from a previous relationship.
The house became especially important during one of the most challenging periods of their relationship.
While she often keeps details of her home fairly private, McCall and her children have shared glimpses of the property on social media over the years
Their lavish kitchen is in their heart of their home, complete with bifold doors that opens out to the sprawling swimming pool in the huge garden
It was there that Douglas cared for McCall after surgery to remove a rare benign brain tumour in late 2024, before supporting her through her breast cancer diagnosis earlier this year. She has since been given the all-clear.
‘We own a flat in London where we stay Monday to Thursday while we’re working,’ he told me.
‘Then every weekend we head back to Tunbridge Wells.
‘We’ve got a gorgeous home. When we’re there it genuinely feels like we’re on holiday.
‘But we like to feel we’ve earned it. We work hard during the week and then enjoy it at the weekends.’
Douglas also told me how he and McCall intend to work for five more years before retiring and ‘enjoying what they’ve built’.
He told me: ‘We’ve got five years of hard work left in us.
‘Then I think it’s time for us to relax and enjoy all of that hard work. Davina will be about 62, and I’ll be around 58. There comes a point where you think, when do we actually sit back and enjoy everything we’ve worked so hard for?
‘We’re both happy and healthy individuals, but that might not last forever.’
At least they now have their dream home, free of complaining neighbours and legal disputes, in which to do so.
