Davina McCall, 56, started ‘making an effort’ after men stopped wolf whistling at her in her 40s – and wore sexy undies every day when she was single

Davina McCall reveals she ‘made an effort’ after men stopped wolf whistling at her at 40 – and wore sexy underwear every day when she was single.

The TV presenter said she wore lingerie every day to feel good and insisted that wearing ‘off-white, non-matching’ underwear was ‘not loving yourself enough’.

She said she felt devastated when she turned 45 because no one whistled for her anymore.

The TV presenter, 56, was speaking at the launch of the world’s first midlife sex festival for menopausal women on Thursday.

Davina said: ‘When I was single I would walk around in sexy lingerie knowing no one would see it but me. And that gave me a great feeling.

‘I think lingerie is very important.’

She added: “So many of my friends are wearing beautiful dresses and I say, ‘Show me your underwear’ and they’re off-white and they don’t match. It’s not enough to love yourself.

“The first thing you put on in the morning, even if you’re not with anyone else, is your lingerie.”

The new month-long online sex festival is run by Glasgow doctor Claire Macaulay, who spoke to Davina ahead of the launch.

Davina revealed how she felt ‘disappeared’ when she turned 45.

She said: ‘I didn’t exist at all. I have to be honest about that.

‘In my thirties I walked down the street and got attention. People would watch or I would get a wolf whistle. Obviously I didn’t want to be bothered, but there was nothing.’

The Masked Singer judge felt like she “blended into the wallpaper” and said she walked into a party and thought she had nothing to say because “no one heard or saw me.”

“I felt like I was gone,” she added. ‘I started saying to myself: if you’re not going to see me, I’ll make sure you see me. I decided I wasn’t going to go quietly.

“So I pay more attention to my appearance now than when I was younger.”

Davina continued, “You don’t have to like me, you just have to see me. I want to exist. And I have a very strong feeling about that.

‘If you feel that as a woman and feel invisible, start with small changes to make yourself visible. And exercising gives you more confidence to do so.

“You have to desire yourself before anyone else will desire you.

‘Exercise will help you get there, HRT, eating right and acts of self-love like taking a bath and exfoliating or moisturizing your skin.’

Former Big Brother presenter Davina, who has been married twice, also urged women to buy lubricant and sex toys, adding that people never talked about them when she was younger.

She said: ‘As a middle-aged woman, I now think that lube should be in every woman’s drawer, whether you have a dry vagina or not.

‘Masturbation is a word that people should not be ashamed of. It is one of the greatest joys. Every woman should have some lube and a sex toy that works for her on her bedside table.”

However, she urged parents to heed her warning, adding: ‘But if anything comes from you for the sex shop, tell your children not to open brown boxes!’

In her online session with Dr. Macaulay, Davina also discussed vaginal estrogen and the reality of HRT.

She spoke about the reality of vaginal atrophy in menopausal women, urging women to “get your vagina fixed.”

Davina said: ‘If you are going to talk to your GP about whether or not you are in the menopause, put that on the list to talk to the GP about if you have a dry vagina.

‘Your doctor only listens to what you say, and you haven’t put your dry vagina to sleep because you hope they will ask you, but maybe not.

‘That’s the easiest solution of all. And it’s the most uncomfortable and disabling thing. It’s the one thing that will affect your desire the most. So get it done.”

The 30-day online festival will explore a variety of topics, from sex toys to kink in the bedroom, as well as issues surrounding relationships, libido and desire.

Davina’s revelations come after she was awarded an MBE for services to broadcasting following a television career spanning more than two decades.

She smiled as she received the award from Princess Anne during an investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace this afternoon.

McCall was joined for the occasion by her partner Michael Douglas and her daughter Holly Robertson.

The TV presenter praised the Princess Royal after becoming an MBE for his services to broadcasting.

Davina said Anne had always been one of her favorite royals and shared her ‘gung-ho’ attitude to life.

The presenter added that she was ‘terrified’ about the investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace, but that it was an ‘honour’.