‘I lost my sense OF SELF'

Jo Whiley opens up on her secret battle with the menopause and how she’s overcome her anxieties

- REBECCA CALDERWOOD

She spends most days hidden in a radio booth, but Jo Whiley has been dealing with her own struggles off air since going through the menopause. The presenter revealed she was stripped of her confidence following the change – all while raising four children, with a busy career and being ‘relentlessly’ trolled during her time as BBC Radio 2’s drive time host.

She said, ‘You lose your sense of self, you’ve accomplished so much and you start to think, “OK, what’s next?”

‘That was definitely going on for me. I wasn’t in a terrible state, but I was feeling more anxious and I didn’t like it, because I’d never felt like that before, ever.’

HIDDEN BATTLES

Jo, 54, also explained how her battle with menopause isn’t her only health concern. In 2018, the radio DJ confessed to dealing with osteoarthritis — the most common type of arthritis. Despite not being properly diagnosed, she says her family history with the condition has made her almost certain that she’s inherited the same problem.