Davina McCall is 'so happy' after MPs pledge to cut hormone replacement drugs by £200 a year

The TV presenter has been outspoken about the menopause and her experience when she went through it

davina mccall
(Image credit: Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)

Davina McCall was celebrating yesterday, with other famous figures, after the UK government announced that charges for the drug HRT would be cut by £200 a year.

The Masked Singer presenter was joined by Penny Lancaster and Mariella Frostrup, at Parliament Square, to celebrate the news, after campaigning to make the drug free for all women going through the condition.

The TV presenter, who has been fighting menopause conceptions, as part of her Channel 4 show, said the news made her 'so happy'.


Davina said, "It's not political, it's about women. I'm so happy—since doing the documentary I've had so many women telling me their stories, and it's heartbreaking that women going through it feel insignificant, invisible, or unheard."

Talking about the changes she said, "It was the right thing to do and we know that women from now on will be taken seriously and that the menopause will not be something that we'll hide under the carpet any longer."

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is available on the NHS, but women who are put on the drug have to currently pay prescription fees for it.  The changes mean it won't be free, but it will cost less for women who have been prescribed it.

In August Davina revealed how menopause gave her brain fog —and what she did to get herself back to normal. Speaking to The Sun, Davina explained how sudden 'brain fog' left her worried that she was losing her memory. "I remember sitting on the drive and looking at some grass, thinking: 'What's the word for that?' I thought it was some kind of dementia," she revealed. 

Penny Lancaster, who was also at the rally yesterday, said Boris Johnson will regret not giving it to women for free, and said the changes haven't gone far enough.

She said, "Boris's wife isn't old enough yet, but she'll get there and he'll be regretting the day that he never gave women HRT free prescriptions because it benefits not just women but the whole family.

"There are many marriages falling apart, women are having to give up careers because of the symptoms, doctors are needlessly giving women antidepressants - that's a cost in itself, so why not just give women the treatment they need, and why should they have to pay for it?"

Sarah Finley

Sarah is a freelance journalist - writing about the royals and celebrities for Woman & Home, fitness and beauty for the Evening Standard and how the world of work has changed due to the pandemic for the BBC. 

 

She also covers a variety of other subjects and loves interviewing leaders and innovators in the beauty, travel and wellness worlds for numerous UK and overseas publications. 

 

As a journalist, she has written thousands of profile pieces - interviewing CEOs, real-life case studies and celebrities - interviewing everyone from Emma Bunton to the founder of Headspace.