Liberty X star Michelle Heaton and her husband have revealed they endured “dark times” as they tackle the menopause from a man’s perspective.
The singer went through the menopause at just 35, after having a hysterectomy to reduce her risk of developing cancer.
The couple made a report for BBC Radio 5 Live on the menopause from a man’s perspective.
“In the last five years we’ve had some dark times,” Heaton’s husband Hugh Hanley told BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast.
“There have been days when I’ve worried about going to work and leaving Michelle with the kids because she’s been a loose cannon.”
He said: “She’s the best in the world, she’s a great mum, she’s a great wife. But you question your relationship, you question… what can I do to make it right?
“And there’s just been… no solutions. It’s hard…. I don’t know how to move forward.”
In her report, Heaton, now 39, took Hanley to meet other men whose partners were going through particularly difficult menopauses.
Heaton, who also had a double mastectomy, speaks to a menopause counsellor and campaigner about how education can help couples.
And Hanley said: “I’m not overly open, but listening to the other guys talk is quite insightful because it’s not something you go (into) with mates at work or in the gym. You don’t sit down and go ,‘How’s your Mrs getting on with menopause?’”
Heaton said: “I feel like almost a different person… because we’re more open.”