A MONTH AFTER HER MARRIAGE TO ACTOR BILLY CRUDUP NAOMI WATTS SHOWS WOMEN CAN THRIVE AFTER MENOPAUSE AND CALLS ON HOLLYWOOD TO GET THE MESSAGE

'So many things can happen in a woman's life during this time'

-  DONNA FRANCIS

There's no age limit to falling in love, as Naomi Watts, 54, and Billy Crudup, 55, proved when they tied the knot last month. The two Hollywood stars, who have been together since 2017 and both have teenage children with former partners, secretly married in New York.

Their relationship has shown that not only is love possible to find later in life, but also that "older" women are not, as Naomi once feared, "let out to pasture".

In fact, for the British-born, Oscar-nominated star of films including The Impossible, finding love and a revived joy in her career at an age when most women feel "less desirable" has inspired her to speak out. Even more so since her diagnosis of early menopause when she was just 36.

Now, almost 20 years later, she is starting a new chapter in her life.

"Going through the menopause at such a young age was not easy, especially during a time when there was so little information available about it," she says. "Mood swings, night sweats and migraines... I was feeling like I was spiralling out of control."

Her anxiety became more manageable only once she realised "seeking help and understanding" about what was happening was the best way to survive this challenging stage in her life.