Andrea McLean recently spoke publicly about her difficult struggle with long Covid, after she contracted the illness at Christmas 2022.
She has always been honest about her physical and mental health, including talking openly about her breakdown in 2019 and her challenging experiences of the menopause after having a hysterectomy.
In a chat with Time & Leisure last year, she spoke about her "bumps in the road", including addressing what she describes as "toxic relationships".
The presenter and author said: "I've always been interested in human behaviour and why we think and do the things we do. "It's why I’ve loved interviewing all kinds of people for so many years… and not just the famous ones.
© Getty"I've had quite a few bumps in the road personally, with toxic relationships, anxiety and overwhelm, and experienced a breakdown in 2019 that made me stop and look at what I needed to do to keep myself on track."
© GettyCentral to her philosophy is the need to recognise and be honest with yourself about how you're feeling.
SEE: Andrea McLean's garden resembles a holiday paradise
She told the publication: "There will be a reason for it, and once you understand that it will help you to do something about it… there's no such thing as constant happiness and euphoria, and social media has made us feel that if we aren’t in a state of constant achievement or bliss then we are failing in some way. You aren't failing. You're simply living."
© GettySpeaking earlier this month about her experience of long Covid, which she called "debilitating", the star told Bella magazine: "I was doing everything that you're supposed to do, which was particularly unfair.
© Getty"But what I am really appreciative of is my leisure, because until you have something that is so debilitating you cannot walk the length of yourself."
Andrea went on: "People say 'Oh I'm exhausted', but what I've experienced defies the definition of tired. I'd no energy - it's really hard to feel energised.
© Getty"The simple things like going for a walk - I'd be getting further and further behind [my husband] Nick, to the point where I'd have to say, 'Can you stop for a minute,' it's things like that."
© GettyThe 53-year-old said that she had been ill for around six months, which she described as a "rough" time after she caught Covid and then was "absolutely throttled" by flu in December, with doctors testing her for lupus before diagnosing her with long Covid.
© RexThe star shared, however, that she's starting to feel some improvement now. Andrea, who shocked fans when she left Loose Women in 2020 to pursue other opportunities, has long won praise for her candour about health.
© Ken McKay/ITV/ShutterstockShe's been an advocate for better information about the menopause to help women who are struggling, following her own experience at 46.
Last year, for example, she appeared on Vogue Williams' podcast Taboo Talk, where she joked: "I thought I'd lose at least a stone and have a flatter tummy, but it made no difference," before going on to explain that her sex drive dropped during menopause.
