Celebrities who have spoken openly about menopause - and what they had to say

The conversation around menopause has come out into the open in recent years, with more education available and awareness around what this stage of life actually looks like for many women.

Part of that conversation has been had among women in the public eye - from US icons like former FLOTUS Michelle Obama and actress Jennifer Aniston to UK celebrities like Carol Vorderman and Davina McCall.

These women have opened up on their struggles with menopause symptoms, opinions on things that need to change, and what they love about menopause, encouraging the rest of us to do the same.

Celebrities who have spoken openly about menopause

Davina McCall on hangovers in menopause

A lot changes in menopause - and our ability to withstand alcohol's negative effects is one of them. In conversation with Ruari Fairbairns, founder of One Year No Beer, Davina agrees that "alcohol is cryptonite for menopause".

She says: "It appears that they are processing alcohol in a completely different way because the hangovers seem, in my experience with my friends, much worse."

Davina has been sober for over 30 years and now "loves" living life without alcohol.

Lorraine Kelly on talking to others about menopause

The conversation around menopause has changed in recent years, mainly because there actually is a conversation now, rather than it being a 'taboo' topic only spoken about among friends.

"I'm 65 now and about 10 years ago we wanted to do something on the menopause and nobody would talk me about it," she told Sam Baker in 2025.

"It was really interesting and I'm not saying that we broke down barriers or anything but I think we were part of a movement at that time," she said.

Louise Minchin on brain fog

Louise Minchin, host of BBC Breakfast until 2021, told the show about the brain fog she experienced while on the show. "The words would not come out, the brain fog was real," she said, referring to an interview she did with George Osborne.

"I came off set that day and thought, ‘what is going on". These are very real problems," she said.

Michelle Obama on menopause shame

While on the campaign trail with Kamila Harris in 2024, former FLOTUS Michelle Obama said that "we've been taught shame" about menopause and other women's health issues.

"Too many women my age have no idea what's going on with our bodies as we battle through menopause and debilitating hot flashes and depression," she said.

Gwyneth Paltrow on speaking up about menopause

In conversation with Dr Mary Claire Haver - a board-certified OB-GYN, certified menopause practitioner, and author of The New Menopause - Gwyneth said that "for too long, menopause has been misunderstood, leaving many women feeling unprepared and unheard".

It's not something "we just have to get through - it's a transition worth understanding an opportunity to take ownership of our health in a whole new way", she said.

Sharon Davies on HRT

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) has been a contentious subject for many years. It's now considered safe for most women, but many still look for HRT alternatives.

Sharon Davies, a former competitive swimmer for England, said that she "wouldn't be without" it herself on an X post in 2024.

Trisha Goddard on menopause not just being a feminist issue

Talking to The Sun in 2021, Trisha Goddard said: "The menopause isn’t a feminist issue, it’s an education issue."

She also opened up about her relationship problems with husband Peter, who she divorced in 2017. "Our problems weren’t just about libido. They were about lack of connection and the whole thing, but my symptoms threw fuel on the fire."

Kay Burley on blood pressure

Kay Burley is another popular daytime television figure who's opened up about her experience of menopause. The Sky News broadcaster revealed that she was taking medication to lower her blood pressure and was "unaware that menopause further lowered it".

She says it led to a fainting episode in the shower that resulted in a black eye and head injury.

Emma Thompson on being grateful for menopause

While accepting Best Actress for Saving Mr Banks in 2014 at the National Board of Review, Emma Thompson said jokingly that she was "actively grateful for menopause" as it was "such a cold night", implying the hot flushes were keeping her warm.

She has also openly joined other celebrities, like Davina McCall, in calling for women to have more support in menopause.

Helen Mirren on life 'not ending' in menopause

"Life doesn’t end with menopause; it’s the beginning of a new adventure, so strap in and enjoy the ride," is a quote widely attributed to Dame Helen Mirren.

The actress has always been a positive voice on ageing, telling Vogue that her mother once said to her: "Never worry about getting older. I know the thought of you being 45 when you’re 25 is, Oh, my god! Who wants to be 45? But it’s amazing because when you get to be 45, you’ll realise it’s actually very cool and you don’t want to be 25 again."

Naomi Watts on not being invisible

"It’s really important that people understand it’s not the end, and we are still relevant," Naomi Watts told Red Magazine in 2025. "We’re not invisible. Our experiences matter."

Speaking to the publication about her book, Dare I Say It: Everything I Wish I’d Known About Menopause, the star said menopause was "inevitable" and "we're lucky enough to live that long".

"So why shouldn’t you feel empowered, take agency and advocate for yourself?"?’

Drew Barrymore on not staying stuck in menopause

Speaking to Oprah, Drew Barrymore said she thought she'd have to "muscle through menopause for 10 years".

She said: "Menopause hasn’t been part of the conversation, and just by talking about it, I hope for a societal shift in perception."

As for her own experience, she said: "I'm gonna do as I do with everything in life, not stay stuck."

Halle Berry on not having answers

Halle Berry has been very open about her experience of menopause, going so far as to share changes in her workout routine.

She's also spoken about the lack of information women have about menopause. Even as someone with access to the "best doctors in the world", she says she still "had no answers".

It's one of the reasons why she built Respin - her own menopause platform.

"I was one of the millions of women who spent 4-5 years of their lives being misdiagnosed or not diagnosed at all. My doctors told me I was “simply ageing” - and that this is what happens to all women," she said.

Tracee Ellis Ross on menopause being 'bizarre'

In an interview with Harper's Bazaar, Tracee Ellis Ross revealed that perimenopause was "really frying" her brain. "It is really bizarre, but it is the most glorious invitation into a new season and chapter in my life. There's no information about it. There's shame talking about it," she said.

She also revealed her friend had told her "your womb will no longer have to be thinking it's going to make a baby. You can fill it with all your creativity".

Salma Hayek on mood swings

"I have gone through [mood swings and hot flashes], I still kind of am, but you've got to notice those moments and take a deep breath and kind of say, 'Okay, it'll pass'," she said on an episode of Red Table Talk.

Like many of the other celebrities who've opened up about menopause, she's optimistic about the future post-menopause. "You can kick ass at any age. You can hold your own at any age, you can dream at any age, you can be romantic at any age," she said.

Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, on women leaving the workplace

In a roundtable discussion to support the 'Menopause Workplace Pledge', the Duchess of Edinburgh said that it was "tragic" that women were having to leave work because of menopause.

"We are fabulous in our 40s, and we are even more fabulous in our 50s, 60s and 70s and we need to celebrate that and keep opportunities going for women," she said.

Lisa Snowdon on the mental impact of menopause

We often discuss the physical symptoms of menopause, but menopause and anxiety are famously linked, as are menopause and depression.

It's something Lisa Snowdon has spoken about before. "I had no idea what was happening to me. Looking back at my early 40s, it felt like I had been hit by a train. Out of the blue, I experienced anxiety, depression, overwhelming emotions, and a total inability to process stress or function properly," she said, while sharing her story in a video with Bupa Health.

Jennifer Aniston on menopause 'taking over'

Speaking to Hello! Magazine in 2024, Jennifer Aniston said menopause is "like some alien is taking over your body and it doesn't make sense".

She also said: "It all depends on when your mom went through it, which I didn't know. And it helps to have that information."

Jennifer Saunders on making jokes about menopause

Jennifer Saunders went into early menopause after being diagnosed with breast cancer. She told the BBC that she was "so full of chemicals after two years of chemo" that she had "no idea" what was happening, and that it was the "tiniest thing compared to everything that's happening".

Still, she admitted that everything she used to "make jokes about" in her comedy roles was actually true. "Your place in the world, and how you feel about yourself, your general feeling about sexiness and libido, it’s an indefinable something that you don’t have anymore, but for me, I feel completely able to do what I want to do.”

Oprah Winfrey

Ahead of her Disney+ special, An Oprah Winfrey Special: The Menopause Revolution, Oprah Winfrey spoke to ABC News' Good Morning America.

In the interview, she said she experienced many mental and physical symptoms, including one that made her feel like she was "going to die".

She told the hosts: "I didn't have night sweats, and I didn't have hot flashes, but I had never heard that heart palpitations was a symptom of menopause. When I was going through it, there was nothing. There was nobody. I felt literally like I was going to die every single night."

Kim Cattrall

In 2014, the Sex and the City star spoke to Cosmopolitan about her experience of menopause. “I don’t think it’s shameful. It's as natural as having a child - it really is; it’s part of life,” she said.

The star also acknowledged then that there was a huge lack of information and education around menopause for women. "I think it’s one of the reasons why it’s so taboo is because we don’t talk about it - it’s too frightening even to talk to [a] doctor about it. I want to reach out to women to encourage them to educate themselves about this time in their lives.”

Cynthia Nixon on menopause bringing freedom

Sex and the City star Cynthia Nixon shared she was going through menopause in 2017 in an interview with Stella Magazine. She said: "There's been no sadness for me because once you hit 50, you're done. The freedom that comes from no longer being fertile is huge."

The star also shared that she went through menopause at the same time as her wife, Christine.

Gillian Anderson on menopause being a rite of passage

Speaking to People in 2017, the Sex Education and The Crown actress said that perimenopause and menopause should be "treated as the rites of passage that they are" and if they aren't celebrated, then they should at least" be accepted and acknowledged.

“Admit, freely, that this is what’s going on. So we don’t feel like we’re going mad or insane or alone in any of the symptoms we are having," she said.

Julie Walters on hot flushes

In 2015, Julie Walters shared her experience of going through menopause with SAGA.

"Oh, God! It was like a chimney and came from the base of my spine. I was doing this TV show called Murder, and every take there’d be, ‘Stop! She’s having a flush!’” she said.

“At the National, I’d come offstage for a quick change and have to shout, ‘Garth, the tray!’ And this guy would come with this big tin tray and fan me," she said.

Shania Twain on menopause being a 'good thing'

Just after her 58th birthday in 2023, Shania Twain told New York Post that she learnt a few lessons from menopause very quickly.

“Menopause taught me to quickly say, ‘You know, it may only get worse. So just love yourself now. Just get over your insecurities - they’re standing in your way. And fear is standing in your way.’ I always sing about being fearless and all of that. I go there when I write. But I’m not living it the way I’m writing it. And I want to live the way I write. I’m more fierce than I ever was because I really demanded it [of] myself," she said.

Gayle King on sweating in menopause

During the 'Facing Fertility' series on CBS Mornings, host Gayle King said she felt like she was "burning inside" during menopause.

"For me, it was just a physical heat and then sometimes you have dripping, drenching sweats that can just happen at the most inopportune times," she said.

Sandra Oh on the confidence that comes with age

While not speaking about menopause directly, Sandra Oh shared that she was feeling more confident with age. "Ageing is the greatest. It really gives you more space to be that person...who has always been inside," she told W Magazine.

Speaking with InStyle in 2019, then aged 47, she also revealed she had more confidence now than she had at 20. "At 47, it’s like, 'You need me to put on a crazy dress with mirrors? Yeah, sure."

Angelina Jolie on early menopause

In 2015, Angelina Jolie revealed that she had gone through early menopause after a surgery to remove her ovaries and fallopian tubes due to high-risk ovarian cancer.

"I expect some physical changes,” the actress and filmmaker, 39 at the time, wrote in an op-ed for The New York Times. “But I feel at ease with whatever will come, not because I am strong but because this is a part of life. It is nothing to be feared."

Gabby Logan on staying in the workplace after menopause

Sports presenter Gaby Logan has opened up about her experience of menopause many times, after being diagnosed at 47.

"I think it’s really important women feel they can stay in the workplace once they hit the menopause or they’re in perimenopause. Having spoken to a lot of people about how women do leave the workplace because of what are actually quite minor alterations that would be needed, I think it’s really important to get behind any campaigns that are there to encourage women to stay in the workplace," she said in an interview with Women's Health.

Carol Vorderman on depression in menopause

Carol Vorderman bravely opened up about her experience of depression in menopause on the Postcards from Midlife podcast. "When I went through it I had severe depression for about six months. I think it was 2015. There was nothing wrong in my life, I had made a lot of money, my kids were fine, my mum was fine. There was no problem.

"And yet I would wake up in this huge bed in this huge house, I've got a swimming pool outside and all of that, and I just thought 'what’s the point?'," she said.

She said that she knew more now where to go for help, adding that she was pleased to see the 'taboo' around discussing menopause was changing.

Shappi Khorsandi on not staying quiet about menopause

Comedian and author Shappi Khorsandi wrote in The Independent that it was "incredible how women feel this major life change should be dealt with in utter privacy from which we finally emerge, experts in cross stitch and quilting".

"It’s taken us so long to start talking about it openly, and it’s a relief, I can tell you," she wrote.

Andrea McLean on carrying on with normal life in menopause

Loose Women’s Andrea McLean shared her experience of menopause in her book, Confessions of a Menopausal Woman.

“Take away the word ‘menopause’ and just look at the symptoms women experience during this time: night sweats, joint and muscle pain, memory loss, depression, fatigue, lethargy, loss of libido. How can anyone be expected to carry on a normal life while living in such physical and mental discomfort without support? It’s insane when you consider that half the population of the whole world will go through this phase of life and be expected to keep a stiff upper lip, not mention anything and simply get on with it,” she wrote.