Andrea McLean is one of the lead panellists on Loose Women, and isn’t afraid to talk in front of a live audience - and viewers at home - about everything from her relationships to the menopause. However, while she appears confident from the outset, the mother-of-two has confessed to HELLO! that it is actually a bit of an act. "I've always been an anxious person and I've always struggled with confidence and putting myself out there, which seems completely ridiculous because why am I working in live TV?" she said. "For me, when I am working on TV, I take on another character."
Andrea McLean says she is anxious, but being on Loose Women gives her confidence
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"It's not that you are seeing a different me," Andrea clarified. "But I am almost being 'TV presenter Andrea' and that's how I sort of get through. So interestingly, for me going to work massively helps because I know that I am good at my job." The TV personality is extremely happy at Loose Women too. "I love my job. I have the best job in the world, what’s not to love? I get to talk to amazing women, interview incredible people, I am friends with the people I work with, so I skip off merrily."
The TV star adores her job
Andrea added that being on live TV gives her adrenaline. "To me doing live TV is like being a Formula One racing driver. You are in charge of this incredible machine and your job is to make it look super easy," she said. "For me, I know I have done an amazing job when things go wrong. I have an ear piece in my ear and there is a whole gallery of people telling you what to do. So when autocue has crashed, or when a guest hasn’t turned up, I can literally finish the show and feel like I can conquer the world."
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Despite being open about her struggles with anxiety and panic attacks - which have been written about in her new book, Confessions of a Menopausal Woman - Andrea also feels "incredibly calm" when under pressure in a working environment. "I actually go incredibly calm, I can deal with that. And yet life and other things can throw me off balance," she said.
