Davina McCall copies Disney characters when presenting Long Lost Family

Davina McCall channels her favourite Disney characters when she presents ‘Long Lost Family’.

The 56-year-old star fronts the ITV show in which she tries to reunite family members who have been separated or, in some cases, never knew of each other's existence.

Davina - who has fronted the series since 2011 - has now revealed she acts like the characters you can meet at Disney theme parks, such as Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck, and gives long hugs to the people she is helping.

In an interview with The Sun's TV Mag, available on Saturday, she said: "I know this is quite a weird thing to reference, but at the Disney parks, all the characters give very, very, very long hugs.

“That’s because they’re told not to let go first because you don’t know how much somebody needs that hug.

“I’ve slightly taken that with me to ‘Long Lost Family’. I just thought, ‘OK, I’m in for the long haul. I’m here for as long as you need me.’”

As well as ‘Long Lost Family’, Davina can be seen each year on ‘The Masked Singer’ sitting on the panel alongside Jonathan Ross, Rita Ora and Mo Gilligan.

The programme sees the four judges attempt to decipher the identity of the celebrity singing in the costume but Davina prefers it when the star is unmasked and had no idea who it was.

She said: “If I’m honest, I like not knowing who it is. It’s more exciting when someone is unmasked and you have no idea who there are.

“I don’t like it when I know 100 per cent who it is. It actually takes the fun out of it for me.

“It’s much more enjoyable when you think, ‘Do you know what? I think it’s this person, but I am probably wrong.'

“I like to think what I lack in correct guesses I give in enthusiasm. That’s what I bring to the show.”