Celebrity and menopause campaigner Penny Lancaster appeared on ITV's Lorraine Show today to talk abut her experience, as part of the her role in our new campaign Let’s #ChatMenopause.

Penny opened up to TV presenter, Christine Lampard, about her initial “denial” of menopause, believing she was affected by lockdown, her husband Rod Stewart’s prostate cancer diagnosis or her father’s heart attack.

Speaking on the show, Penny said: "It’s so important to chat. We need to talk about the more embarrassing things. It wasn’t until I spoke with the women on Loose Women and they said we know what you’re going through.

"Once women are able to open up and share their stories, others feel less alone."

Penny appears alongside Carolyn Harris MP in the first video of our Let’s #ChatMenopause campaign, which is helping to open up conversations about menopause, breaking down stigma and increasing awareness.

In the video, they speak candidly about their experiences and how going through menopause has impacted their relationships.

Penny says: “I threw the dinner plates across the kitchen because my voice, I didn’t feel was being heard or my symptoms weren’t being noticed...and Rod ushering the kids out of the room at the time, but also within five minutes, them coming back in, [putting] their arms around me and saying, ‘it’s going to be okay Mummy.’

“And even though that was a really hard and sad time, it was a really special moment when my husband and children were both there for me and realised, ‘okay, we’re not going to let Mummy suffer anymore.

The campaign videos also feature celebrities and menopause experts including our Ambassador Dr Nighat Arif, Olympian Michelle Griffith-Robinson, broadcaster Zoe Hardman, presenter Kate Thornton and women from the Armed Forces.

We are running a social media campaign asking women to open up through videos, photos, comments and posts.

Get involved and share your menopause story on social media and catch up on our Let’s #ChatMenopause campaign videos

Let’s #ChatMenopause videos

Catch-up on our Let’s #ChatMenopause campaign videos:

Penny Lancaster and Carolyn Harris MP share their experiences of the menopause

Broadcaster Zoe Hardman and her sister talk about how they supported each other through early menopause (called primary ovarian insufficiency)

Dr Nighat Arif, Michelle Griffith-Robinson and Meera Bhogal discuss race and the menopause

TV presenter Kate Thornton speaks to women from the Armed Forces about how the menopause has affected their confidence and careers

A group of Tesco colleagues discuss their experiences of menopause, including two women whose menopause was medically induced, and highlight the need for more education.