Loose talk saves lives
Presenter Andrea Mclean talks to Gabrielle Fagan about finding contentment, her health battles and managing menopause
Glasgow-born Andrea Mclean, 49, is undoubtedly glamorous and successful – she’ll celebrate 12 years as a panellist on the hugely popular daytime show Loose Women this month – but she’s had her share of personal challenges, including two divorces and health problems.
She was diagnosed with the blood disease medium-vessel vasculitis following a hysterectomy in 2016, which also triggered a “tough” early menopause. Mclean, who candidly charted the experience in her book, Confessions Of A Menopausal Woman, is now fronting a Holland & Barrett campaign to banish the taboos surrounding menopause.
The mother-of-two – who’s been married to husband Nick Feeney since 2017 – hopes that sharing her experiences will help other women navigating this tricky phase of life.
What does Loose Women mean to you?
“It’s been like therapy for me because I’ve been through so many life experiences while I’ve been on it, and it’s saved my life on many occasions during those tough times.
“When I first joined, I had a 12-weekold baby – my daughter Amy will be 13 this year! During the time on the show, I’ve gone through post-natal depression, got married, got divorced, was very sad, met a new man and got married again.
“We’re all great friends, best friends, and completely open with each other about our lives and what’s happening to us. It all comes out in the morning meetings before we go on screen. We know each others’ secrets, and trust that everyone will have your back and catch you if you fall.
“Unlike any other friends, who might sympathise with your problems and agree with your views, the Loose Women are much more honest and won’t be afraid to tell you what’s what. It makes them unique.
“They’ll go, ‘Oh dear, that must be so awful but why were you so stupid? What on earth did you think was going to happen?’ That’s so lovely and helpful because you never learn anything about yourself if someone just nods and agrees with you all the time.”
How is marriage third time around?
“We’ve been married a year and it’s proved so much better than I ever thought it could be. I was so nervous before the wedding, because the thought of maybe going through that [divorce] again was worrying.
“Nick helped dispel my wedding fears by saying quite logically, ‘But you’ve never been married to me before’. That made total sense, and being married to him is completely different to any other experience I’ve ever had. We’ve found marriage actually works for us.
“I’ve changed, and I don’t want to go out partying any more. I’d rather be in, enjoying a glass of wine and watching telly. We’re both real homebodies.”
How do you feel about turning 50 later this year?
“I’m thinking – ‘Wow - 50!’ – and looking forward to embracing a whole new decade and putting a lot of stuff behind me. In my 20s, I did all the crazy things people put on their bucket lists – I’ve bungee-jumped, sky-dived, survived white water rafting – and in my middle bit leading up to now, I’ve just been dealing with life, dramas, living and surviving.
You’ve been open about your experiences with menopause – how are you coping with it now?
“The menopause was, and sometimes still is, a scary time. I wanted to be open about my experience of this stage women go through because when I started mine, I couldn’t identify with anything the media was telling me about the condition.
“Getting involved in Holland & Barrett’s Me.no.pause campaign to break the taboos around menopause was a no-brainer for me. It encapsulates everything I think about the menopause and also of women of my age – you’re not invisible any more, you’re still a strong and capable woman who’s able to do different things, and you come from all different walks of life. You can be a new you.”
How are you coping with the symptoms?
“Having a surgical menopause – a full hysterectomy and my ovaries removed – isn’t like a normal menopause, because you’re dramatically plunged, like sky-diving, into a different stage in your life.
“It’s something I’m still going through and, to be honest, sometimes I think I have it under control and other times it’s like I’m falling off a cliff and nothing’s working right.
“I go through spells where, for a few months, I literally wake up every night soaked in sweat because of hot flushes, or lie awake in the early hours because of insomnia, which is exhausting. It’s like a garden having the menopause – it’s a changing situation and continually needs tending to and adjusting.
“For me, the worst symptom is overwhelming anxiety. It feels like there’s a lion in the room and I have an overwhelming feeling of apprehension, awfulness, and a conviction everything’s going to go wrong.”
How do you look after your health and wellbeing?
“Having my hysterectomy saved my life, because the vasculitis (a rare and dangerous disease that causes blood vessels to inflame and, in severe cases, can cause organ failure) might not have been discovered if I hadn’t had it. Luckily, the surgery removed the affected area.
“I do what I can to stay healthy. Going to the gym and doing yoga regularly is good for my head, as I always feel better once I’ve released some energy. In January, I started a strict diet to cleanse and rest my gut for two months. I’ve suffered constant dull stomach pain and discomfort for years, which began after falling ill back-packing in India when I was 22.
“I have allergies, can’t tolerate dairy, and I’ve also had a five abdominal operations, including two caesareans and surgery for hernias as well as hysterectomy. The hope is this cleanse will allow the area to heal and I can then reintroduce certain foods slowly.”
Andrea Mclean is supporting Holland & Barrett’s Me.no.pause campaign, which aims to break the taboos around menopause and support women through it naturally. Find out more at hollandandbarrett. com or visit one of their 800 UK stores
“For me, the worst symptom is overwhelming anxiety. It feels like there’s a lion in the room”