Carol Vorderman, 61, has spoken openly about her menopause experience, sharing she went through four months of deep depression amid perimenopause in her early fifties.
MORE: Claudia Winkleman urged to go to the doctor amid this worrying symptom
"I didn't have any of the normal symptoms," Carol said. "I didn't have night sweats, I didn't have hot flushes like my friends did and I thought: 'Gosh, I'm one of the lucky ones.' But then it hit me.
Carol Vorderman spoke candidly about her menopause experience
"There was one particular year, 2015, when I started to become anxious and then a deep depression overwhelmed me for four months. There was nothing going wrong in my life at all. I love my life, I love life, so I couldn’t quite work out what it was. Eventually, I realised that it was tied into the menstrual cycle."
READ: Davina McCall's health woes: 'I couldn't construct a sentence of any kind'
RELATED: Can IVF bring on early menopause? A doctor explains
Carol, who is an ambassador for women's health charity Wellbeing of Women and is supporting its Menopause Workplace Pledge in collaboration with HELLO!, expressed her surprise at the impact menopause has on women's careers.
"I am shocked to be honest that an estimated one million women have given up work because of these feelings that they have in the workplace, or have reduced their hours at work or given up a promotion at a time in their late 40s and in their 50s when they should just be reaching the pinnacle of their careers. It has to stop."
Carol said she normally loves life, so was shocked by her mental health decline
The Menopause Workplace Pledge calls on employers to provide menopause support and has drawn support from a range of organisations including Sainsbury's, Morrisons, John Lewis, ASOS, National Rail and Post Office.
READ: Holly Willoughby shares important message as she 'heads towards' the menopause
The Countess of Wessex is a patron of Wellbeing of Women and said of the cause: "Women having to leave the workplace because of the menopause is tragic. 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.
Sophie Wessex is a patron for Wellbeing of Women
"That's why I’m backing the #MenopauseWorkplacePledge campaign! Three in four women will experience menopause symptoms and for some, managing these at work can be a real struggle."
Like this story? Sign up to our HELLO! Mail newsletter to get other stories like this delivered straight to your inbox.