Loose Women star Andrea McLean has revealed that she was forced to sell her engagement rings on Vinted and apply for a job at Starbucks after losing everything following her exit from the ITV show. The 56-year-old presenter left the programme in 2020 to focus on her lifestyle brand, but ultimately lost her home and hundreds of thousands in life savings during the pandemic. She also faced severe health crises, including pneumonia, acute kidney injury, and sepsis, which left her unable to work.
McLean's Emotional Revelation
Speaking on HELLO!'s Second Act podcast, McLean said: 'I lost everything, literally everything in my fifties. My home, health, finances, I lost my identity in terms of I'm not that lady anymore.' She described feeling shame and embarrassment, thinking people would 'point and laugh' at her for leaving TV to start a business that failed. 'I tried to get a job in Starbucks and they didn't even get back to me, it was humiliating,' she added. Her agent warned her that working there would ruin her TV career, but she needed money to feed her children.
Health and Business Struggles
McLean, who is married to Nick Feeney and has three children, said she felt like she 'landed flat on my face' after announcing her business venture. Last year, she collapsed at home and was hospitalised with severe pneumonia, acute kidney injury, and sepsis. She spent four days in hospital and continues to experience health issues. McLean has written a new book, Shameless: Finding Freedom and Resilience Through Failure, detailing her struggles.
