Raising awareness about menopause has given me purpose, says Davina McCall
Davina McCall has said that raising awareness about menopause gave her “purpose” at this stage in her life.
The 54-year-old TV presenter has been open about the lack of medical knowledge on the subject in recent years, and last year opened up about her own journey to menopause and hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in a Channel 4 documentary.
McCall, the cover star of Good Housekeeping’s June issue, told the magazine that she first started exploring the issue because she wanted to educate herself.
Good Housekeeping UK / David Venni’
She said: “I fell for this by accident because I wanted to know more about menopause for myself and I thought, ‘How come not all women know these things when 51% of the population is female?'”
“The beauty is that being able to use my platform to spread the word has given me purpose at this stage in my life.”
Her Channel 4 documentary, titled Davina McCall: Sex, Myths And The Menopause, explored “mid-life taboos” from sex to hormone therapy.
After a positive public response to the show, the channel announced that the TV star would be returning for a follow-up documentary.
Davina McCall: Sex, Mind And The Menopause, which focuses on menopause at work, airs May 2nd on Channel 4.
The TV presenter admitted she didn’t want to talk to anyone about it when she went through menopause at work.
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Good Housekeeping UK / David Venni’
She said: “I was doing a live TV show called Stepping Out and I forgot the names of the contestants and made mistakes on the autocue, which I had never done before.
“One day the producer came into my dressing room and said, ‘Are you okay? You don’t seem to be yourself,’ and I said, ‘Oh, I’m fine.’
“Then when she left I just cried. I thought, ‘What’s happening to me?’”
In October, McCall joined other famous names such as Penny Lancaster and Mariella Frostrup at a rally in Parliament Square where crowds celebrated as the government pledged more menopause support and reduced HRT costs.
Further progress was made on Sunday when the health secretary announced he intended to appoint an HRT czar amid a drug shortage leaving women desperate.
This comes as many women are reportedly passing on their prescriptions, with some allegedly committing suicide from the debilitating menopausal symptoms they suffer without the drug.
The full interview with Davina McCall will be available in the June 2022 issue of Good Housekeeping from April 28th.
https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/raising-awareness-of-the-menopause-has-given-me-purpose-says-davina-mccall-41594971.html Raising awareness about menopause has given me purpose, says Davina McCall