Former Loose Women star Penny Lancaster has shared how colleagues on the show came to her side during a health battle that gripped her during the Coronavirus pandemic.

Chatting to Chris Evans on his Virgin Radio show, Penny reflected on her time on the ITV programme and how she has maintained a close relationship with her fellow panellists over the years.

After spending over a decade on the show, she explained how her colleagues went above and beyond for her a few years ago during the Coronavirus pandemic, when she became concerned that she was suffering from a mental health issue: “One of the other major things was when they saved my life when I thought I was going through depression in the middle of lockdown, which I think a lot of people were suffering from.”

However, despite her initial worries that she was suffering from depression, she explained how her Loose Women pals came to her aid as they offered their words of wisdom: “But in fact it was the menopause and it was my Loose Women girls that went ‘darling Penny, this is not depression. This is your hormones.’ So, they’ve been with me on many a journey and I’m so grateful for them.”

Penny has previously spoken out about how acutely she had felt the effects of the menopause. During an interview with Times Radio, she recalled a moment: “I picked up the plates and I threw them across the kitchen.”

However, after she later took a trip to see a GP, she was misdiagnosed with depression and was prescribed antidepressants.

While the antidepressants didn’t manage to alleviate her symptoms, she later confided in her Loose Women colleagues, who suspected she might be dealing with symptoms of the menopause.

And, following an appointment with her doctor, it was confirmed that her colleagues’ judgement was correct and she was, in fact, experiencing the menopause.

According to the NHS, there can be a number of symptoms that a woman may experience during the menopause, such as changes in periods and a variety of physical symptoms.

However, there can also be a number of mental health symptoms, which can include: “changes to your mood, like low mood, anxiety, mood swings and low self-esteem, as well as problems with memory or concentration (brain fog).”

Her latest health revelation comes shortly after the release of her first memoir, Someone Like Me, published yesterday (Thursday, 25 September).