By Lauren Haughey

Copyright walesonline

Shirley Ballas has candidly discussed her menopause journey, disclosing that it plunged her into a very ‘dark place’. The Strictly star, 65, explained she initially had nobody to turn to and felt entirely misunderstood until receiving a crucial wake-up call. During an appearance on ITV’s This Morning just yesterday, she revealed: “[It impacted me] terribly. Terribly, and no one to talk about it with. Eventually, I talked to my son because I really felt in a dark place. “But my mother sailed through the menopause, and it wasn’t something from that era that they really talked about. But I got myself living in America, I was away from my mum at the time.” Menopause happens when monthly periods stop due to falling hormone levels. The NHS states it usually affects women between 45 and 55, though it can begin sooner. While some women experience no symptoms during menopause, others face various physical and mental health challenges. These can include heightened anxiety, mental fog, hot flashes, sleeping difficulties and irregular heartbeat. Shirley revealed that menopause left her feeling ‘really down and out’, ultimately impacting her teaching work. The situation came to a head when a young man approached her privately, completely transforming her perspective. “I mean, no one seemed to understand me. It affected my teaching,” Shirley continued. “I’d go to work every day, I was a little bit sharper with everyone. “A lovely young man called Wrangel took me to one side, he said, ‘I don’t know what is going on in your life, but this isn’t the teacher that we are used to.’ “And that was a wake-up call. And then I spoke to my son, he had a doctor, and then I did bioidentical hormones, and my life changed forever.” Bioidentical hormones are synthetically produced hormones frequently sourced from plants. They are designed to be used by the body in the same manner as naturally occurring hormones, which are particularly advantageous for people experiencing hormonal imbalances. Licensed bioidentical hormones are accessible through the NHS as part of hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Importantly, these are distinct from compounded bioidentical hormones, which are occasionally provided at private clinics and are not obtainable via the NHS. This is mainly due to uncertainty regarding their effectiveness and safety. Continuing the conversation, This Morning presenter Cat Deely also asked Shirley: “And it just literally pulled you out of that darkness?” To this, Shirley replied: “Just to get my body balanced. “So, my body was way unbalanced. And now I do that check once a year. I get my hormones checked just to make sure, even at 65, that everything is working and functioning, and so on.” For emotional support, call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline at 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org , visit a Samaritans branch in person, or go to the Samaritans website.