Emma Forbes reveals menopause has given her anxiety and loss of confidence

Emma Forbes has spoken about her struggle with the menopause, saying “it hits you like a train”.

The former Live & Kicking presenter said she is having treatment that has made her feel more like herself.

She told ITV’s Lorraine: “People don’t talk about it and they so should, it needs to be spoken about.

“It is a struggle, it hits you like a train – terrible anxiety, loss of confidence, anxiety over ridiculous things.”

She continued: “You get this irrational anxiety. Women don’t recognise their symptoms an awful lot, they try and struggle through.

“Our parents’ generation kept quiet, they didn’t talk about it. I didn’t talk about it to my mother.”

She added: “I think that generation go ‘I don’t remember it, I sailed through it’, and actually now we are being much more vocal, which is good because I think people need help.

“I’ve been on a quite rocky road of treatment … you have got to get advice, you have to get your blood tested. Everybody’s journey is different.

“I’m now on body-identical HRT but as we know the headlines on that are so terrifying. You have to make an informed choice with your doctor.

“I feel much more like myself … this is the old me back. It’s quite lovely to get back because it’s a struggle.”

Forbes, who hosted Live & Kicking with Andi Peters from 1993 to 1996, reunited with him during a special segment of the show.

Peters said: “If you don’t remember what happened on television 25 years ago, YouTube it because there’s loads of us two being silly.”