Davina McCall thought her menopausal brain fog was 'some kind of dementia'
Davina McCall has revealed she was so badly affected by brain fog brought about by the menopause that she thought she was suffering from "some kind of dementia".
The 53-year-old presenter told The Sun that her experience of the menopause shattered the expectations she had beforehand.
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"I thought it was something that happened in your 50s. You got a couple of hot flushes and were through it," she said.
McCall added: "And the brain fog. I remember sitting on the drive and looking at some grass, thinking: 'What’s the word for that?' I thought it was some kind of dementia.
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"It was only a couple of years later, when it was affecting my work, that I went to my gynaecologist, who said I needed hormone replacement.
"I thought I was going to lose my job. Then I went on HRT and, literally two weeks later, I was like: 'Oh, I’m back. This is life again.'"
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McCall, who is part of the judging panel on The Masked Singer and spin-off The Masked Dancer, said she was now ready to move forward with her career.
She said: "Now I feel normal, better than I have done in years, because I was perimenopausal for a long time before that. I’m ready to take on the next chapter feeling blimmin’ awesome."
The presenter has been vocal about her experiences of the menopause, appearing earlier this year in a documentary for Channel 4 entitled Davina McCall: Sex, Myths and the Menopause.
McCall also revealed she loves interacting with fans and saw social media as a lifeline during lockdown, although her policy online is to "steer as far away as I can from anything contentious".
She said she has now been in the public eye for so long that she is "part of the furniture" and is able to go about her life without being hassled.
"I can get on the train because I’m not going to get swamped," said McCall.
Read more: Davina McCall says lockdown life was a "rollercoaster"
"People will sit opposite me and go: 'You alright?' And I’ll go: 'Yeah, good thanks.' And that’s it.
"I’m very grateful if somebody asks me for an autograph, because I’m aware that one day it will stop, and when it stops, I might miss it. I really try to enjoy all of it."
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