Model and television personality Penny Lancaster has made a heartbreaking confession about the depths of her struggle with menopause, revealing she used to hide away from her husband, rock legend Sir Rod Stewart, and their two sons.
A Crisis of Confidence
Speaking candidly on a podcast with Louise Newton, Lancaster described a period where she was convinced she was suffering from depression and was even prescribed antidepressants. She experienced a severe crisis of confidence, compounded by symptoms like brain fog, memory loss, and insomnia.
"Nobody can see me," she recalled thinking at the time. "I can't remember this, or I'm forgetting things. I've got the brain fog, or I can't sleep at night. I can't function properly during the day."
This led her to believe she was no longer of any use to her family. "Maybe I should just slip away and just hand in my notice," she admitted.
Hiding in the Garden
The situation became so overwhelming that Penny would retreat from her family. She described seeking solace in a hammock in her garden, in an area near the chickens, where she would cocoon herself to shut out the world.
"I used to lie in a hammock in the chicken area and hide," she told the podcast. "I cocooned myself up and just wanted to shut myself off from everyone."
Her behaviour naturally caused great concern for her husband, Rod Stewart. Penny explained that while they are usually open with each other, she found herself unable to articulate why she was feeling the way she did, leaving him worried.
The Turning Point and HRT Transformation
The reality of her condition hit home during a distressing incident with her sons, Alastair, 19, and Aiden, 14. After calling them for dinner and growing impatient, she completely lost her temper when they came in rowing.
"I screamed and threw a plate of dinner across the room and burst into tears," she confessed.
It was her co-stars on the ITV show Loose Women who eventually identified that she was experiencing menopause symptoms, not depression. This diagnosis set her on a new path. Penny has since become a passionate advocate for Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT), which she says transformed her life.
She now challenges women who are hesitant about the treatment, pointing out that these hormones have been in their bodies their entire lives. Drawing a parallel, she mentioned her own experience of taking thyroxine for an underactive thyroid since she was 21, a medication essential for her survival.
Initially, Penny feared menopause meant the end of her sex appeal and vitality. She now sees it as the beginning of a new chapter, one she has embraced by training as a special constable to continue being productive and giving back to her community.
"Now that I’m on HRT it’s like a fresh start," she said. "Not the end, but the beginning of a new chapter."
