People
'To keep your man happy, stay intimate' Davina McCall clarifies relationship advice
By Stylist Team
Updated 8 years ago
Davina McCall has posted a clarification after a controversy erupted over comments she made about sex and marriage to the Telegraph this weekend.
The TV presenter, 47, faced accusations of sexism when she told the newspaper that she "always" wore nice lingerie in order to keep the spark alive with her husband of 16 years, Matthew Robertson.
"You must keep your husband satisfied in the bedroom department," she is quoted as saying, in the original interview "even if you’re absolutely exhausted. Otherwise he will go somewhere else."
Davina, who is half-French, noted that like other French women, she likes to wear matching bra and knickers and keeps a careful eye on her figure.
"Matthew has strong views on underwear," she said, adding that when it comes to diet, "I am constantly vigilant. No white anything, not too much bread and pasta, fresh ingredients, everything unrefined. And if I have a big lunch, I go light in the evening. It’s all about yin and yang."
Davina and Matthew have three children together and recently renewed their marriage vows at the Little White Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas.
Her original comments were met by disbelief by some commentators on Twitter and, responding to the furore, the TV presenter wrote a blog post seeking to clarify her position.
"Firstly, I do like to wear matching underwear... no biggy... I don’t do it for Matthew... I do it for me," she wrote.
"I do not submit to my husband, nor does he submit to me. My mum said, to keep your man happy, stay intimate.
"Sometimes, especially when the kids were very young and I was super tired, this was the last thing on my mind… has he ever coerced or pressured me? NO!!! But have I ever started feeling tired and finished feeling very happy? Yes!!
"And every single woman I know feels the same. Really what my mum was saying, and I also believe, is that if intimacy goes, for months, or a year, then it’s super hard to get back and it becomes 'a thing'.
"I love Matthew... and neither of us want that to happen… so we work at it! Together… I hope I make sense!"
The Big Brother presenter also Tweeted this response to the "haters":
As one of Britain's best-loved presenters, a number of people have come out in support of Davina - not only to sympathise with the media storm caused by the interview, but also to agree with her that sex does help keep a relationship alive.
However, others maintain that her original comments are sexist and appear to deprive women of their own sexual desires. Some men also came out in protest at the way her comments appeared to portray them:
Davina married Matthew, the former presenter of Pet Rescue, in Herefordshire in 2000.
"I want to stay as much as I can like the girl that Matthew married," she said, in the interview this weekend. Referring to her recent vow renewal ceremony, she added, "Often people renew their vows because they’re on the verge of divorce. But it wasn’t like that. We are very romantic."
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