'Take away the mirror' - I'm A Celebrity contestants open up about body image and menopause in candid chat

I'm A Celebrity is well underway, and the ladies in the camp have wasted no time in getting together to chat about the things that matter.

In between the challenges, trials and ever-present concerns about getting enough food, the women have been sharing their opinions on two important subjects: Body image and menopause.

Particularly, sex during menopause, which Ruby Wax had some very strong opinions about.

Ruby was also the person to kick off the conversation about body image. "Do you look in the mirror and think, 'wow?'" she asked her fellow campmates.

Unsurprisingly, the general consensus from the other women was a resounding "no".

Lisa Riley stepped in to add, "You can find so many what they call 'problem areas,' - I hate that term, but it's true."

She continued, "I am an area, just one area," hinting that she just wants to be seen as a complete person, and not somebody picking out parts of her body to consider a "problem."

She finished by saying that if women spend their lives hunting for so-called "problem areas," they'd "send themselves cuckoo".

Kelly Brook, who has often spoken out about body image issues, added to the chat. "It's actually nice not having a mirror in here, isn't it?," she asked the other ladies.

"Just to not look at yourself and be free and liberated, to not really care," she said. Ruby's response to this: "Take away the mirror!"

Speaking about finding acceptance within her body, Kelly once told The Sun, "Some of my skinniest times were also some of my most miserable.

"Even when I was a lot thinner, I didn’t think I was good enough. You always think that when you’re younger," she went on to say.

The star revealed that it took until she was older, she's now 45, for "all those insecurities to just fade away".

It's Ruby who then turned the conversation towards menopause and sex. "When you have menopause, you really don't care," she said to the others who were listening intently.

Kelly revealed she's spoken to women going through menopause and shared that some have told her that at this time of life, they "forget they even like sex" and all thoughts of it "goes out of their brain".

Ruby shared she feels this is "liberating." In response to Lisa's aghast question, "But what do you do when a man feels funky?" Ruby offered one of her standard, candid responses. "You tell him to f**k off," she said, simply.

However, it should be pointed out that while loss of libido can be common in menopause and perimenopause, women shouldn't have to live with it if they don't want to.

According to menopause specialist Dr Louise Newson, the hormones estradiol (estrogen) and testosterone are both important for your sex drive.

The amount of these a woman's body produces in perimenopause and menopause declines, leading to some noticing low libido.

This can be treated with hormone replacement therapy - the first-line treatment to replace hormones, ease symptoms that lead to reduced sex drive and and improve libido.

Dr Newson also suggests that in some cases, topical hormones can be used, with or without HRT, to manage symptoms such as vaginal dryness, itchiness, and pain that lowered hormones can cause, which in turn lead to women not wanting sex.

If you're concerned about libido associated with perimenopause and menopause, please consult your doctor.