TV presenter Davina McCall has completed an ambitious, eight-year renovation project on her £3.4 million home in Tunbridge Wells, Kent. The extensive work, which involved demolishing a 1930s cottage and building a larger, four-storey, seven-bedroom property, faced considerable opposition from local residents.
The presenter purchased the five-bedroom house in 2018, a year after her marriage to Matthew Robertson ended. Her architects submitted plans in November 2018 to replace the existing cottage with a substantially larger home. These proposals immediately sparked objections from nearby residents, particularly concerning the planned basement.
Neighbors expressed strong objections to the basement's proposed size, which they argued would occupy approximately two-thirds of the main house's floor area. They also raised concerns about potential excessive vibration, noise, and dust from rock excavation, as well as the impact of heavy lorries on the private road serving the estate. Additionally, they contested the architects' description of the replacement home as only 'slightly larger,' asserting it was 'substantially' bigger and would appear 'cramped within the site.'
Despite these objections, planning permission was granted in April 2019. Subsequent revisions to landscaping and tree plans were also approved. The completed home is now a four-storey property featuring seven bedrooms. The basement includes a cinema room and entertainment spaces. The ground floor comprises three reception and dining areas, an open-plan kitchen and dining room, and an attached garage with a shower room. The first floor houses the principal suite with a dressing room, alongside four additional en suite bedrooms. The second floor adds two more en suite bedrooms, each with dressing rooms.
Further approvals were granted for a separate 7m by 4m garden room in March 2021, designed to allow enjoyment of the garden in inclement weather. Last year, McCall received approval to add two first-floor balconies to the principal and a second bedroom, offering views of the garden.
McCall quietly married celebrity hairstylist Michael Douglas in a second wedding ceremony at the property earlier this year. Douglas and McCall live in the home with McCall's three children and Douglas's two children from a previous relationship. The house also served as a sanctuary during challenging health periods for McCall, including surgery for a benign brain tumor in late 2024 and a subsequent breast cancer diagnosis earlier this year, from which she has recovered.
Douglas stated that the couple intends to continue working for another five years before retiring to enjoy their home. He described the Tunbridge Wells property as a sanctuary where they feel they are on holiday during weekends, having earned the right to relax after their hard work.
The renovation project, which spanned nearly eight years from the initial purchase of the property, has been described as a source of significant upheaval and emotional distress for McCall, but has ultimately resulted in her completed dream home.
