Davina McCall talks television success, laughing off those on-screen blunders, Sky Academy and her best confidence-boosting secrets (hint: you've got to fake it to make it!)

Sponsored by Sky Academy

By Katie Amey for MailOnline

Published: 17:00 EST, 22 October 2015 | Updated: 17:00 EST, 22 October 2015

Davina McCall is one of the most well-known faces on British television.

From her days presenting on MTV Europe's Ray Cokes' Most Wanted in the early '90s to her recurring gig hosting the Comic Relief annual telethon, it's nearly impossible to turn on Sky1 - or any other channel, for that matter - without seeing the Wimbledon native's familiar face.

After sky-rocketing to stardom as the host of Big Brother in 2000, McCall has since become an evening fixture in most homes, recently hosting Sky's reality programme Got to Dance and the newly-launched darts-based game show, One Hundred and Eighty.

She is now supporting Sky Academy Confidence Month, highlighting the importance of confidence in young people’s development.

From left to right: Alfie Deyes, Justine Roberts, Jessica Ennis-Hill, Davina McCall and Melvyn Bragg are supporting Sky Academy Confidence Month, highlighting the importance of confidence in young people’s development

Davina McCall got her start hosting on MTV Europe and has since become a household name, presenting the likes of Got To Dance 

But spending all that time on live, unscripted television doesn't come without its shaky moments.

And as an ambassador for Sky Academy, which focuses on using the power of TV, creativity and sport to help young people unlock their potential, Davina shared her confidence-boosting tips at the Sky Academy Confidence Month launch.

As part of the campaign, Sky Academy will showcase its initiatives which aim to build practical skills, experience and confidence to unlock the potential of one million young people by 2020. 

'Confidence has played a vital role in my career,' she explains, although she also admits that it isn't always easy to come by.

'It's something that grows with experience. I wasn't always as relaxed and confident as I am now but, as the years have gone by, I find myself in a position where I know that I am good at what I do.' 

The 48-year-old mum of three is also involved with Sky Academy, which aims to help young people unlock their potential. Pictured: At the Sky Academy Confidence Month Launch with Alfie Deyes

Although she may seem confident on live TV today, Davina insists that this wasn't always the case

'When I was just starting out I worked on MTV,' Davina remembers. 'Back [then] it used to be a relatively small channel.

'Even though it was great to be working there I knew, really, that when I was hosting in the middle of the night, no one was really watching.'

However, her then-limited audience allowed her to build the skills that ultimately helped her land some of her most high-profile presenting jobs.

'It was an invaluable experience because it meant I could cut my teeth and make mistakes,' she adds. 'You learn so much from making mistakes - and it was a great place for me to learn my trade and build my confidence.'

Davina McCall married her second husband, Matthew Robertson, in 2000 and the couple have three children

This year, Davina and Matthew renewed their vows in a ceremony attended by the entire family

Davina's big break came when she began hosting Channel 4's smash-hit series, Big Brother, in 2000 

Yet even the most self-assured individuals still experience failure from time to time.

Though a proposed sitcom and her own chat show never made it off the mark, Davina believes that these happenings were necessary to help her learn how to deal with criticism in a constructive way.

'There was a time when I was pregnant with Chester and I had been working on this chat show which was receiving some criticism' she remembers. 'People were starting to ask, 'Is this the end of Davina?'

'It used to affect me terribly,' she adds. 'But with experience, it's like water off a duck's back.

'Twitter really helps in this day and age. You get a lot of love on Twitter, but you get some abuse too. You're never going to be everyone's cup of tea and you've got to just let them have their opinion and move on.' 

Davina's confidence extends from her presenting duties to her social media persona, where she often shows off her toned physique on Instagram

Recently, Davina has hosted the celebrity winter sports competition programme, The Jump 

A recent survey from Sky Academy, carried out in collaboration with YouGov, has found that one in three young people are 'not confident,' with confidence being lowest among 17 year olds. 

Interestingly, 37 per cent of teenage social media users admit that they feel more confident online than in person, though girls face lower levels of confidence than their male counterparts in all aspects.

'It's so difficult for girls because we worry about what people think of us when we're young and there are so many pressures now to look a certain way or behave a certain way,' Davina says, noting Sky Academy's additional finding that 66 per cent of girls say their confidence is directly influenced by how attractive they feel.

'The worst thing girls can do to each other is to judge each other. It really doesn't help. Sometimes I see myself in these 'what are they wearing?' columns and I think to myself, 'great, this is a good thing. I have achieved something here' We should be proud of who we are.'  

And this is something that Davina actively tries to reiterate to her three young children - Holly, Tilly and Chester - though she's quick to add that she doesn't tell them they are 'amazing' or 'wonderful' all the time.

'I will say to them, 'I really like the way you did this,' or 'the moment when you did that was great,' she explains. 'But if you tell your kids that everything is the most amazing thing you have ever seen then they will know you're lying to them.

'I will wait until they have done something I know they can be really proud of. People have done that to me in my career - telling me that everything was amazing - and I knew they were lying to me.' 

Of particular interest to Davina is inspiring young people- especially young girls - to be proud of who they are

A-list friends! Mingling with some big celebrity names, like Simon Cowell, is just one of the many perks of Davina's job

Nevertheless, a healthy dose of confidence is a key factor to achieving success.

In the same poll by Sky Academy, 97 per cent of parents and 90 per cent of young people consider confidence an even more important attribute than being naturally clever.  

Undoubtedly, this is most true as it pertains to the media industry, though it doesn't come naturally to most - Davina included.

'For someone looking to pursue a career in the media, do as much as you can to talk to people,' she advises.

'Look [people] in the eye, shake their hand and speak up. All of these things give indications of confidence.'

And even when she's not on live TV, Davina keeps up her communication skills by constantly meeting and talking to new people - no matter where she is.

'There's a great book by Malcolm Gladwell in which he talks about people needing to do something for 10,000 hours before they become great at it. It's so true - it's all about practice, practice practice.' 

Balancing work with motherhood, Davina is snapped here spending time with her daughters Holly and Tilly

Davina's go-to mantra to keep her confidence up is 'you've got to fake it to make it,' which she shared with Cardinal Pole Catholic School students during Sky Academy's Career Lab Initiative Day

But despite hours of rehearsal - and making new friends while on holiday - the occasional on-screen blunder is a given.

'To be honest, I think my live blunders are almost what people pay me for! Never, never, never gloss over blunders because that just makes them worse.

'If I'm not confident, you can see it straight away - my face goes red and I really start to mess up my words. 

'But if you can relax, take [your mistakes] on board and do something with them then you'll be absolutely fine.

'I have a mantra that I always tell myself and that is: 'you've got to fake it to make it,'' she says.

'If you can allow yourself to fake appearing confident - and that allows you to start doing a good job - then eventually you're going to believe it.' 

Sky Academy is a set of initiatives that uses the power of TV, creativity and sport to unlock the potential in young people.

To find how Sky Academy can help a young person you know click here.  

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