I Finally Feel Brave Again

Loose Women presenter Andrea McLean talks to Robyn Morris about how she beat the menopause and why she can’t wait to be 50.

Sitting down to chat to Andrea McLean is just like catching up with an old friend. Warm, open and funny: nothing is off-limits with Andrea, and it’s no wonder, considering she’s been a presenter on Loose Women since 2007, where she and her co-stars discuss everything from politics to the challenges of ageing – something Andrea is all too familiar with. In 2016 she underwent a hysterectomy, which triggered an early menopause.

‘My experience hasn’t been brilliant, but women don’t need to accept that this is just how it is, there is help,’ she insists.

Andrea, who is mum to Finlay, 17, and 12-year-old Amy, says that now she feels ‘full of beans’ again, just in time for her 50th birthday in October. ‘I’m so excited. I’ve decided I’m going to be like the Queen,’ she says. ‘My 50th year is going to be both the year building up to it and the year after. I’ve got my confidence back.’

As she steps out for our photo shoot, Andrea’s new-found confidence shines through. After nailing the cover shot within the first 10 minutes, she jokes with the w&h team, ‘Shall we have lunch now?’

But ever the professional, Andrea, who has been married to businessman Nick Feeney since 2017, keeps up her infectious energy for the entire day.

Here, she tells us about her big plans for the next year, the secret to a successful marriage and taking on Ant Middleton in SAS: Who Dares Wins.

Last night, I was lying in bed thinking, ‘I’m going to be 50 this year!’