Jo Whiley says lack of public discourse about perimenopause left her ‘really lost’

Jo Whiley has said she “really lost” herself when she was going through the perimenopause, in part because public conversations were not being had about the issue.

The BBC Radio 2 DJ, 59, praised the former Big Brother presenter Davina McCall for opening up debate about the issue through her campaigning, which led to a television series, documentary, podcast and books.

Whiley said: “When I was going through it, I think the conversation wasn’t being had that vocally, like it wasn’t on social media with Davina and her campaign. I really lost myself.

“I cried all the time. I mean, I cry a lot anyway but I cried all the time,” she told Women’s Health UK. “I just felt very weak, and going to the gym and getting myself strong has played a really, really big part in helping me be the person I am today. It really saved me.”

Whiley has previously said that she was struggling with the perimenopause in 2018, when her Radio 2 show with Simon Mayo was being criticised.

“It all came at a time when I was most worried about brain fog,” Whiley has said. “I felt I couldn’t do the Drivetime show with such a lot of pressure and things to remember.

“Until then, I’d thought: ‘I’m absolutely fine. I don’t need HRT [hormone replacement therapy].’ But it had got to the point where I was really struggling. I decided to try it.”

She added: “I felt I was a liability on the radio and it was a very uncomfortable feeling, not being in charge of what I was doing, suddenly grappling for words.”

Whiley said that because there was no public discourse about menopause, she was bewildered when she experienced symptoms – such as burning mouth – and had no idea they were connected to the issue.

“I’ve felt rotten, which is why it’s good to talk about it. You feel less alone,” she said.

Two years ago, Whiley said she continued to intermittently suffer symptoms.

“I can go along and feel absolutely great, then all of a sudden I want to lock myself in a dark cave and not do anything at all because I can’t face the world,” she told the Daily Mail in 2021.

“I’ll be doing fine, then it hits me: low self-esteem, low confidence. I don’t feel like myself at all. It’s quite daunting. It happens every couple of months. I don’t want to see anyone. My eyes are really sore. I get a burning mouth and tongue. I really get the wobbles.”

In the Women’s Health interview, Whiley went on to say that the “lads’ mags era” was a “ludicrous time to be a woman”.

“There was so much objectification and judgment of women and their bodies,” she said. “It was a ludicrous time to be a woman but I just kept my head down and weathered the storm.

“I think [the current generation of girls] is still dealing with a lot. There are so many crises and so much pressure and so much to worry about in the world.

“But there’s an army of [young] women who are fearless, absolutely fearless, and they take no prisoners, and they will be who they want to be,” she said. “It’s much healthier.”

The full Jo Whiley interview is available to read on the Women’s Health website or in the magazine from 17 September.