Byline: Tara Womersley

MO MOWLAM helped bring peace to Northern Ireland, Paula Radcliffe has broken numerous world athletics records and JK Rowling created a literary phenomenon with Harry Potter.

Yet when the Bridget Jones generation was asked to vote for Britain's "most amazing woman", they reached for the TV remote control - and chose Davina McCall.

The 35-year-old, whose breathless all-action style has characterised her rise to fame on Big Brother and Popstars: The Rivals, won more than one in every four votes in the poll. Mowlam, Radcliffe Mulberry Replica and Rowling came out top in their respective categories - politics, sport and literature - voted for in the poll of 10,000 women aged 25-45 by the influential internet site .

Yet McCall, who won the entertainment category by a mile, was the overall winner too, with 27 per cent of the vote.

Paula Radcliffe scored 23 per cent, Dame Judi Dench 20 per cent, Mo Mowlam 12 per cent and JK Rowling 10 per cent.

So why does McCall outshine all of these of these high achievers and apparently speak so effectively to a generation? She has made many viewers reach for the volume control button with her constant shouting and is hardly the most polished of presenters.

Perhaps her ability to bounce - literally - straight back on to the TV screens after the birth of her daughter Holly Willow last year struck, a chord with working mothers.

Maybe her successful transformation from a drug addict and alcoholic into A-list TV presenter (she is now drug-free and teetotal) won her support.

Perhaps her honesty helped too. She once confessed of her wilder days: "I was a drug addict, a complete mess.

"You name it, I took it: cocaine, ecstasy, even heroin. I definitely killed off a few brain cells. I was a very bright girl but I wasted what should have been my golden years."

Then again, perhaps it is just McCall's homespun appeal that won her support.

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Cynthia McVey, a psychologist at Glasgow Caledonian University who has been a consultant for reality TV shows, said: "I think one of the things that makes her so popular is the fact that she is so approachable and has that 'girl next door' quality.

"She seems quite sensitive to others and she has a baby , so there is support gained from being a working mother.

"She also shows courage and I remember seeing her on a show (Don't Try This At Home) where she had to walk across a tightrope between two buildings because the contestant would not do it, and that is to be admired."

Dr McVey added: "Women have moved on from 20 years ago when they stayed at home and were looked down on if they had a successful professional life. But it is still a tall order to live up to, being a good mother, looking good and having a successful career."

In the first round of the survey for the website - which is specifically targeted at women - voters were asked to choose the most amazing women in a range of categories including business, acting, fashion, sport, writing, art, music and entertainment. The top of each category then went on to a second poll to decide on the overall winner.

embroidered patches In the entertainment category, McCall gained 52 per cent of the vote, more than double the 25 per cent gained by the
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