BBC Radio 2 DJ Jo Whiley has said she “cried all the time” during the menopause and said a conversation “wasn’t being had” about the process.
The 59-year-old praised former Big Brother presenter Davina McCall for starting a conversation about the issue through her campaigning, which has seen her present Davina McCall: Sex, Myths And The Menopause and support The Menopause Charity.
Whiley told Women’s Health UK that going to the gym “really saved me” during that period of her life.
Whiley said: “I did go through a period of time when I felt like I was just a bit weak but I think it’s probably when the menopause hit.
“When I was going through it, I think the conversation wasn’t being had that vocally, like it wasn’t on social media with Davina and her campaign. I really lost myself.
“I cried all the time. I mean, I cry a lot anyway but I cried all the time.
“I just felt very weak, and going to the gym and getting myself strong has played a really, really big part in helping me be the person I am today. It really saved me.”
Whiley also spoke about the anxiety she used to suffer from on stage and added it was “ruining my life”.
The BBC Glastonbury presenter said: “It’s taken a lot of personal development to get me on that stage in front of those people.
“It’s been really hard, I remember doing one gig, and I was just so scared, I thought, I can’t go on like this. This is ridiculous. It’s ruining my life because I’m just such a ball of anxiety.
“I realised how happy it’s making people when I do these gigs and the audience that I’m playing to is why I do what I’m doing, that was a game changer.”
She went on to say that the “lads mags era” was a “ludicrous time to be a woman”.
Whiley added: “There was so much objectification and judgment of women and their bodies.
“It was a ludicrous time to be a woman but I just kept my head down and weathered the storm.
“I think [the current generation of girls] is still dealing with a lot. There are so many crises and so much pressure and so much to worry about in the world.
“But there’s an army of [young] women who are fearless, absolutely fearless, and they take no prisoners, and they will be who they want to be. And it’s much healthier.”
Despite her experiences, Whiley said she had enjoyed being part of the Britpop scene during the 1990s.
She added: “I mean, the 90s, it was this hazy, lovely, summery Glastonbury (in June 1995).
“I remember being in the backstage area, and I was doing the TV coverage, and there was Robbie (Williams), and he’d got this red Adidas tracksuit on, he’d got bleached blonde hair.
“Jarvis (Cocker) was walking along with a carrier bag full of records and [I was] looking around, just going, oh my god, to be alive and to be part of all this scene. This is something.”
The full Jo Whiley interview is available to read on the Women’s Health website or in the magazine from September 17.
