Meg Mathews has told how the menopause hit her “like a brick wall”, but revealed she now looks and feels better than ever before.
The 51-year-old former wife of Oasis star Noel Gallagher suffered a sudden onset of symptoms, including severe anxiety, low mood and loss of libido, in 2016.
But she told The Sunday Telegraph’s Stella magazine she has gained a new lease of life after seeking medical help and hopes to end the stigma around ageing.
Mathews, who married Gallagher in 1997 and divorced four years later, said: “Some women go into the menopause gradually and sail through it, but it hit me like a brick wall.
“I woke up on New Year’s Day 2016 and felt depressed and out of sorts. I hadn’t drunk the night before, so I knew it wasn’t a hangover.”
Mathews revealed the thought of having sex made her “feel sick” and that she would “burst into tears over silly things”, prompting the breakdown of her relationship.
She told Stella: “My body felt like a car that had run out of petrol. Menopause can be a very lonely place – but I want women to know there is life after it.”
Mathews, who shares 17-year-old daughter Anais with Gallagher, also revealed she has had her fake breasts removed and stopped using fillers on her face.
She said: “There’s this stigma around ageing but my friends and I are more confident now. Our kids have grown up, we’re aware of our own style.
“For me, this is the best age.”