Davina McCall and her co-author Dr Naomi Potter claim top gong at the British Book Awards

Davina McCall and her co-author Dr Naomi Potter have won book of the year at the British Book Awards for their research into menopause.

Menopausing, a self-help guide that shares true stories, science and advice about perimenopause and menopause, was chosen from 12 individual category winners announced Monday at the ceremony – nicknamed The Nibbies – at Grosvenor House in London.

TV presenter Davina, 55, has been candid about the lack of medical knowledge on the subject in recent years and has spoken candidly about her own menopause journey and hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in a number of Channel 4 documentaries.

The work was praised by a jury comprising Channel 4 News anchor Krishnan Guru-Murthy, presenter and author Anita Rani, radio presenter Vick Hope, comedian Ellie Taylor and Waterstones Children’s Laureate Joseph Coelho.

Reflecting on menopause, Krishnan said, ‘This book helped spark a nationwide conversation about menopause and captured the zeitgeist.

“It was cleverly marketed and nurtured by the publishing team through significant obstacles.

“The combination of Davina McCall with Dr. Naomi Potter was clever enough to produce an authoritative and useful yet entertaining book on an important and ignored subject.”

It also won in the non-fiction lifestyle and illustrated book of the year category, beating off stiff competition from the likes of Jamie Oliver for One and Greta Thunberg’s The Climate Book.

For overall book of the year, it took home household names, including Richard E Grant, who won in the nonfiction audiobook of the year category for A Pocketful of Happiness, and former Love Island star Dr. Alex George, who took home the award for Best Children’s Nonfiction for A Better Day.

It also beat titles that gained a lot of followers on social media, such as Colleen Hoover’s Verity, which won the Best Page Turner award, and RF Kuang’s Babel, which won the Best Fiction award.

Best-selling author Bonnie Garmus, 66, who penned her debut novel at age 64, was named Author of the Year for her comedy fiction story Lessons in Chemistry.

Alice Oseman, creator of the best-selling Heartstopper graphic novels that inspired the hit Netflix series, was named Illustrator of the Year.

Philip Jones, chairman of the British Book Awards judges and editor of The Bookseller, said: ‘Readers were the real winners this year, with titles ranging from Menopausing to Tyger to I’m a Fan showcasing the remarkable virtuosity of the demonstrating the book business, especially for its role in amplifying and creating conversations about mental health, misogyny, sexuality and gender, menopause and more.

“These awards undermine the idea that publishing is a one-way business: Our judges chose this year to award exceptional and compelling stories skillfully marketed, praising the bookstore for its commitment to promoting all types of reading for everyone. kinds of readers.’

Alice O’Keeffe, Chair of the Book of the Year Judges and Book Editor, said: ‘Our panel of judges took up the challenge of choosing the winners of the 2023 British Book Award from this year’s strong shortlists.

“From mind-blowing fantasy to cerebral crime, and from heartfelt memoir to life-changing menopausal advice, we celebrate these amazing books and the dedication of publishers around the world.”