Penny Lancaster reveals she started the menopause during lockdown

Penny Lancaster has spoken out on her experience of the menopause, revealing that she first experienced symptoms during lockdown.

The star, 49, spoke to her Loose Women co-stars from her London home during Monday’s show, updating them on her lockdown with husband Rod Stewart, 75.

Penny admitted she has found the past few months extra tough because of her symptoms, but gushed that her rocker husband and their two sons Alastair, 14, and Aiden, 9, have been very understanding. 

Speaking from her home, Penny told her co-stars: ‘Rod and I have a very close and intimate, open relationship about all sorts of things.’

‘I talk to him about how I’m feeling in the lead up to my period, feeling a little down or sad or… I always say, “Darling give me space today, it’s the time of the month.”‘

She added: ‘I’ve explained to them [my family] about the hormones I’m experiencing since March, my last period.’

‘I’ve been having the really hot sweats, and then freezing cold… my body temperature is fluctuating all over the place. It affects your mood swings, I’ve been putting on more weight.’

Penny then recalled a particularly tough day, explaining: ‘I was in the kitchen, cooking dinner, it had been one of those days where everything had been going wrong and I’d had enough. I ended up throwing the dinner across the kitchen.’ 

‘I just screamed and burst into tears. The boys came and hugged me. Rod said, “Just give mummy a minute”. So, we’re lucky that we’ve got that open discussion.’

Speaking of feeling there’s a lack of information available, she said: ‘What’s really confusing for me, I’m trying to explain to my husband and the boys what’s going on, but I don’t really know myself…’.

She added: ‘I don’t know what’s happening. My younger friends are saying to me, ‘Are you going to do HRT, what symptoms have you got?’ I’m saying, ‘I don’t know!’

Penny, Rod and their sons have split lockdown between their homes in Florida and London, as well as enjoying a recent break in Croatia. 

She explained to Loose Women that she and Rod ‘always consider ourselves extremely lucky in lockdown…having a larger property and land to exercise in.’

‘We count ourselves lucky, and thinking how awful it must be for those in small apartments. Our hearts went out to them.’