Jenny Eclair on menopause secrecy: ‘I have never heard Madonna say anything about being menopausal’

Jenny Eclair has opened up about the menopause in her new book Older and Wider: A Survivor’s Guide to the Menopause, and she wishes other celebrities would be as forthcoming.

The 61-year-old comedian was chatting to Kate Thornton on White Wine Question Time about how society has become more open about the menopause, however, she says there are still some menopause ‘deniers’ out there.

“I have never heard Madonna say anything about being menopausal,” she said of the 62-year-old singer.

“She has never actually come out and said, ‘Jesus, some days are really hard girls!’ It's always about being sexy at 60, and that's fantastic. She works very hard at it, but just now and again, it'd be nice to have a nod from some very big names…”

Watch: Jenny Eclair on how Madonna MUST be open about Menopause

Eclair says that while things have got better since her mother used to go to the bottom of the garden and “bang a pan with a with a rolling pin and scream” as her menopause relief, she says not all GP surgeries are equipped to deal with it.

“I personally think that every GP's surgery needs to have at least one menopause expert in there, because I ended up going privately,” she revealed to Thornton.

Read more: Madonna accused of Photoshopping her head onto fan’s body

“The male GP that I saw at my local clinic couldn't say the word vagina. I think he said, downstairs… And he was very anti-HRT. I just thought ‘I'm not getting two sides of the coin here, I'm just getting one side’ so, I marched off to Harley Street.”

While she’s aware that not every woman is fortunate enough to be able to avoid private healthcare, she does say no-one needs to struggle in silence like her mum and those of that generation did.

Listen: Jenny Eclair opens up about why being on I’m A Celebrity was the hardest thing she’s done

“I think we shouldn't underestimate as well how many women there are that really genuinely can't afford independent advice from anywhere and it’s a terrible situation,” she said.

“There are still some people who aren't asking for help who are really struggling on their own, and the help is there, the medication is there.”

For Eclair, her struggles during the menopause years were mostly emotional, however, she did reveal one surprisingly good side effect to the menopause and being on HRT.

Read more: Penny Lancaster shares photos of weight loss after 'turning to food for comfort' during menopause

“I still can't understand why my t*** are still getting bigger!” she laughed.

“There's absolutely no reason to have big knockers. I don't need them. I don't want them, particularly, but they've got a lot bigger than they were.”

She said the other physical side effects of the menopause, like losing elasticity in her skin, haven’t bothered her thanks to her career as a comedian.

“I've never been particularly vain because vanity doesn't really work in comedy,” she said.

She continued: “For me getting older was never that big a problem because I wasn't in the beauty industry. I wasn't, you know, somebody who's employed for my sexiness, my cuteness and my look.”

Read more: Jenny Éclair on having to wait decades to get her own TV show

The comedian who is hoping to take her rescheduled tour on the road later this year, says performing to other women who ‘got it’ was a real support for her and now she’s finally found peace with herself.

“I can relax a bit on this now,” she stated.

“I tell you what is satisfying is that there comes a time, when you can sit down and go, ‘I've done a lot. I've worked hard. I've done some good stuff. There's enough there's enough to be proud of.’”

Hear Jenny Eclair talk about coping with a menopausal confidence crisis in the latest episode of White Wine Question Time. Listen now on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Watch: Madonna, 62, poses in sexy lingerie