Ruth Langsford Reveals She Was "Losing A Bit" Of Herself As She Discusses Her Turbulent Menopause Symptoms

TV star Ruth Langsford is currently winning over the hearts of the nation on Strictly Come Dancing. But while she's impressing fans with her continually improved routines every week, she's spoken openly about the fact that she's really doing the competition ‘for the menopausal women' out there.

In a new interview with the Daily Mail's You magazine, she confessed, "I wanted to do it for a whole generation of menopausal women who haven't given up on themselves just because they are in their 50s."

But what of Ruth's own experience with the menopause? Recently, a wave of women have begun to open up about the previously ‘taboo' topic - including Carol Vorderman and Lorraine Kelly.

And Ruth has said that she is all for opening up the discussion, admitting "I'm getting older and I want to embrace that and feel proud."

However, that doesn't mean that going through the menopause has been all sunshine and rainbows for Ruth. The 57-year-old revealed that while she's happily taken on the Strictly experience now, she wouldn't have had the energy two years ago, when her menopause began.

Then 55, she admitted that her symptoms left her feeling "exhausted", and as though she was "losing a bit of who I was".

She revealed, "Some women talk about it happening overnight but it crept up on me. I noticed my body changing, my waist going, my hair thinning and my skin on my face and neck getting less firm.

Ruth also revealed that another big problem was her new-found inability to get in her all-important 40 winks.

"A few years agoI stopped being able to sleep. I would wake up in the night boiling hot, I'd throw off the covers and then wake up freezing. It would happen so often that after a few months I was completely exhausted.

She continued, "I felt I was losing my energy, losing a bit of who I was. But I am always pragmatic, so I made an appointment to see my GP."

So how did she try and fix the problem? Ruth revealed how she decided against the much-used method of using HRT, instead chosing to go for an option called bioidentical hormone therapy.

Bioidentical hormones are said to have the same chemical structure as the hormones already in your body - making treatment of the menopause, caused by changing hormones, that bit easier.

"They have worked really well for me. My hot flushes disappeared practically overnight. Once that happened I could sleep, and then my energy levels came back.

"Different things work for different people, but it's something we should be talking about. I'm very happy to stand up and break the silence."

We couldn't agree more Ruth.