ANDREA McLean is still haunted by “dark times” from her past that she was forced to confront on Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins – but insists she’s feeling stronger than ever.
The Loose Women presenter, 49, broke down in tears as she relived a terrifying memory from her past, which left viewers fearing she would quit.
Andrea McLean is feeling stronger than ever after surviving her Celebrity SAS experience
Now in an exclusive interview with Seconds Away Online, Andrea has revealed how the make-or-break experience was a “game changer” after bravely facing up to her secret trauma.
“I’ve been through some quite dark times,” admits Andrea, who was the show’s oldest-ever recruit.
“I had no idea that the baggage I had neatly packed away and not looked at for a long time was actually still there.
“I had to tell myself to keep going.”
The 49-year-old admitted she had gone through a personal trauma in the past on the Channel 4 show
Andrea was left shaken when former soldier Ant Middleton shouted at her on day one of the intense training course.
After being hauled into the interrogation room to face questioning, Andrea admitted feeling “very scared” and said she found it tough to open up about her feelings.
Even now the 49-year-old says she is not ready to speak publicly about the traumatic incident she is still troubled by.
“The SAS experience is so intense,” Andrea explained.
Andrea looked beaten in the first episode of Celebrity SAS
“The whole reason I wanted to sign up to the show was to see what my limits and capabilities were.
“I never thought I’d be as fast and strong as the younger people on there. It was more about seeing where my line in the sand was.
“After my conversation with Ant I realised that my mantra when it got really tough in there was: ‘Do I like this? No I don’t. Can I do it? Yes I can. So just keep going’.
“That was a game changer for me. In life we normally just carry on with things we like, but actually strength comes from doing things we don’t like that are uncomfortable and everything is telling you to stop.”
Mum-of-two Andrea – who is touring with Confessions of a Menopausal Woman in May – started off her career as a weather presenter on GMTV in 1997.
Andrea plans to share showbiz secrets on her live tour
Since then she has written three books and is a regular host on Loose Women.
In the past she has bravely opened up about her battle with chronic anxiety, which she says was a side effect of having a hysterectomy.
On a bad day, Andrea admits sitting in her car crying after getting beeped at.
Despite having to live with crippling panic attacks, Andrea says she surprised herself on how she coped during the brutal TV show that purposely pushes recruits to the limit.
She now deals with her anxiety in the same way she tackled her SAS challenges – but viewers will have to wait to see how Andrea fares in the coming weeks.
“All you can think about is putting one foot in front of another,” Andrea said.
The Loose Women presenter suffers from anxiety
“That mentality works in real life too. People think because I’ve written a book about the menopause it must all be fine and lovely, but it’s not.
“I still have some really awful times.
“People think anxiety means you just get stressed about things, but it’s so much more than that. It’s overwhelming.
“For some just getting out of bed is an achievement. Our bars are all set at different levels.
“It doesn’t matter how big or small that achievement is. I just want to keep encouraging everyone to keep going.”
Ant Middleton described Andrea as ‘fragile’
Twice-divorced Andrea says she has been helped by SAS tough guy Ant who encouraged her to face her demons head-on.
She revealed: “It made me realise that putting things in a box and burying them is not the best thing to do.
“I can understand why all of us do it because we cope with things in very different ways.
“But it taught me you need to take things out and look at them to see where you are with things.
“I am really glad I did it. It’s the toughest show on TV. I’m glad I said yes to it.”
In fact, facing her fears on Celebrity SAS encouraged Andrea to bravely sign up to her very own one-woman tour.
Andrea is going on tour, inspired by her latest book Confessions Of A Menopausal Woman
Inspired by her latest book, Confessions of a Menopausal Woman, the presenter will travel across the country to share her life story, from showbiz secrets to top tips to getting through the menopause.
Andrea told us: “I’m keen for women to known the menopause is something that happens to half the planet and although it’s a part of you, it doesn’t define all of you.
“We need to normalise it and give people information so they can get the help they need.
“It’s definitely not a power point presentation on the menopause. Everything is done with a sense of humour and lightness of touch.
“It’s an evening with me chatting about all kinds of things in my life.”
Her gruelling experience on Celebrity SAS has even got her thinking about what else she can achieve to celebrate turning 50 in October.
So far on Andrea’s 50th bucket list, she’s conquered Celebrity SAS and signed up to run 10K for the Vitality London race in her underwear.
But she’s most looking forward to a romantic trip to the Maldives with husband Nick Feeney who she married in 2017.
They founded This Girl Is On Fire together – a website sharing women’s stories to help them feel empowered.
“I’m at my strongest now approaching 50,” says Andrea.
“A lot of us are too frightened to try thing in case we fail, but I’m not worried about falling flat on my face anymore. I don’t care because at least I’ve tried.
“I’ve always coloured within the lines, but now getting to 50, the second half of my life is approaching, and I don’t want to spend it afraid to try.
“I want to give everything a go, which is really liberating.”
- Andrea McLean is touring the UK from May 2 with Confessions of A Menopausal Woman. Tickets from thisgirlisonfire.co.uk. Her book is out now in paperback.
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Celebrate You and sign up to run the Vitality London 10,000 with Andrea McLean on Bank Holiday Monday on May 27 at vitalitylondon10000.co.uk/celebrateyou – you don’t have to run in your underwear!
