Overview

• Strictly Come Dancing’s head judge, 65, said on ITV’s This Morning that she felt isolated and deeply low during menopause with no one to talk to.
• She described how her behavior at work changed, saying she became sharper with students until a pupil named Wrangel told her she wasn’t the teacher they knew.
• After confiding in her son and consulting a doctor, she began bioidentical hormones, which she says transformed her wellbeing.
• She now gets her hormone levels checked once a year to keep her body balanced.
• Reports alongside her account highlight NHS guidance that menopause typically occurs between 45 and 55 and note that licensed bioidentical hormones are available as HRT, whereas compounded versions from some private clinics are not provided by the NHS due to uncertain safety and effectiveness.