Andrea McLean has been open about her new-found confidence as she approaches her fiftieth birthday, which recently saw her take part in the Vitality London 1000 race in her underwear to raise money as well as body confidence. And during the event, the Loose Women panellist was shouted at by a man in a crowd, who told her that she was running "like a girl!" The TV star wrote about the experience on her website, This Girl is on Fire, and revealed that the man in question was none other than her own dad! In a heartwarming post to mark Father's Day, Andrea revealed how her dad had always given her the confidence to do whatever she wanted, regardless of her gender, and that "running like a girl" was a long-running joke between the two of them.
Andrea McLean's dad taught her a valuable lesson from an early age
Andrea explained that the joke had started when she was a child during a time she was playing football with her dad. "I had run for the football, and missed, and he shouted, jokingly (again, you need to hear this in a Scottish accent: 'Andrrea! You rrun like a girl!' I stopped in my tracks and said: 'But dad, I am a girl.' And it's been a running joke in our family ever since." The mother-of-two went on to explain that how her dad had treated her – and still does – made her feel like she could achieve anything. She penned: "It sums up how my dad treated me growing up - like I could do anything I wanted. That being a girl shouldn't stop me from trying to achieve anything because it didn't make any difference what gender I was, what mattered was trying my best and just going for it."
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The TV star has shown her incredible strength a lot recently
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The TV personality has shown her incredible strength and can-do attitude in many ways throughout her career, most recently during her appearance on SAS: Who Dares Wins. The star wanted to prove to herself that she was capable of anything and pushed herself to the limits during the gruelling challenge. Andrea was praised for giving it her all, and inspired many viewers in the process.
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