Downton Abbey's Phyllis Logan Opens Up About Her Crippling Experience With The Menopause

61-year-old Phyllis Logan, known for playing Mrs Hughes in Downton Abbey, has opened up about her experience with the menopause ahead of new ITV series Girlfriends.

The actress, who will star in the drama alongside Zoe Wanamaker, revealed that she experienced the menopause in her mid-forties, describing it as 'hellish'.

"I can speak about mine because I unfortunately started it when I was in my mid-40s, so it's a bit of a thing of the past now," she told theDaily Mail. "Thank god I managed to cram out a child before that.

"It affects so many people. And the older you get the more people you know that are suffering and waking up with sheets wringing and having to tear their clothes off in the middle of the tube station.

"It's hellish really. I'm delighted [it's in this drama], long overdue isn't it?"

In the first episode of the series, Zoe Wanamaker's character is seen experiencing a hot flush and discussing her menopause-induced mood swings.

The eight-part drama will address many other issues affecting middle-aged women, including age discrimination.

When asked about how her career has changed as she's got older, Phyllis remained positive.

"It might be thinner on the ground, some of the jobs, but there's always room for 60-plus, 70-plus women.

"There's the lovely Wendy Craig, we had to juggle her days filming because she was filming something else in Cheshire.

"I suppose there has maybe been blips here and there where you think 'Oh this is a bit slack at the minute'. So yeah, definitely there have been times. For the time being I'm feeling quite positive."