LOOSE Women star Andrea McLean has opened up about the effect the menopause had on her body.
The TV favourite said she used to “wear sanitary towels under her armpits” before going live on air, when she suffered with hot flushes.
Andrea – now 48 – underwent a hysterectomy in 2016, which she says sent her “headfirst” into the menopause.
Speaking to the , Andrea opened up about the hysterectomy, which she opted to have after a long struggle with endometriosis and the perimenopause, saying that she couldn’t have done it without her partner of four years, Nick Feeney.
Andrea said: “It was a big decision to make in my 40’s, but it had to be done. The hardest part was the recovery and the strain it put on my body.
“I had to take it easy for six weeks and give myself time to heal. Nick, luckily, didn’t let me lift a finger.”
The happy couple got married in November, after meeting on a blind date.
They each have two young children of their own – Andrea is mum to Finlay, 17, and Amy, 12, whilst Nick has daughters Tialily and Sienna – and admitted it was a hard decision to undergo the hysterectomy and rule out having children together.
Andrea says: “I was just getting into a really, really happy relationship with a lovely man, so it was a big thing.
“I knew I’d be an older mum, but it was thought we could still maybe have children if we wanted to.
“But I was also in constant pain [from the endometriosis] and couldn’t carry on any longer.
“Luckily, he just said, ‘If you’re OK, I’m OK, that’s all that counts’. So we had a big hug and counted our blessings.”
But the TV star has admitted that her hysterectomy has improved her sex life with third hubby Nick.
She said: “Thankfully Nick and I are all good to go in the bedroom. My hysterectomy definitely made us stronger as a couple.
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“We never had a honeymoon period, because we met just as I was in the middle of it all.
“My endometriosis got so bad that I was curled up on the sofa in a ball crying and he said, ‘Right, you can’t carry on like this, you need to sort this out.’ It was something that we went through together.
“When you’re younger you think about excitement, massive pay packets and trips to Paris, but what it comes down to it making each other laugh and being supportive.”
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