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Homes Under The Hammer star Martel Maxwell has been candid about her struggle with undiagnosed menopause after noticing something “terribly wrong” with her memory.
This had largely been contained to her home life, as she had been misplacing items around the house and causing some tension with her husband Jamie Parrat.
However, eventually the 46-year-old suddenly found herself losing her words at the school drop-off and at work.
She recalled in her column for The Courier: “I’d been filming Homes Under The Hammer when, during a piece to camera, as I was describing the swirly oranges and browns of dated decor, I had to stop mid-way because I couldn’t remember the word for carpet.”
Martel quickly looked to her cameraman for help, pointing at the carpet and questioning: “What’s it called again?”
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Her baffled colleague plainly replied: “Er, a carpet?” and while they quickly continued filming, the moment played on the presenter’s mind.
In another moment, the mum-of-three sent her children off to school just waving “inanely” until she was able to remember the word “bye”.
She candidly admitted the moment felt as “unbelievable as it sounds” and brought a new sense of sadness as “normal life and emotions was always a little out of reach”.
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This seemed to be the last straw for the BBC star as she believed “there was something terribly wrong with me”, as she combined the memory loss with “hot flushes” and bursts of “anger”.
The BBC star revealed in her column that after visiting the doctor and getting a “surprise” diagnosis of early perimenopause, all of her symptoms suddenly made sense, including the brain fog and memory loss.
Looking back, she declared she “should have known that’s what it was” but, like many, had underestimated the effects it could have on her.
Having now received a diagnosis, the presenter revealed she is on HRT in the form of patches which help to “protect bones and brain”.
Martel concluded that she feels “lucky” to have had children and be receiving treatment that “generations before didn’t have”.
She also offered some friendly motivation for other women enduring or heading towards perimenopause, heartwarmingly adding: “I’m here to tell you it’s ok. You’ll get out the other side and be stronger yet softer for it.
“Look at all the research which shows we hit a low point in midlife but emerge happier and looking for a deeper meaning to the rest of our lives.
“And look at me.”
