Ruth Langsford reveals the embarrassing incident that led to her having to explain her menopause to son Jack

Ruth Langsford has always been open about her menopause experience in public, but that doesn't mean explaining her symptoms to her 16-year-old son was easy.

While we'll often hear Ruth discuss the often-taboo subject live on Loose Women, or in an interview, it's likely not a topic that's easy to discuss with your own children.

But now, the 58-year-old has revealed the moment she was forced to open up to her son Jack about what was going on, after an embarassing incident at home.

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Chatting to Fabulous magazine, the presenter revealed that she hugely over-reacted to something small at home, making it clear that she had to explain the outburst to Jack.

She said, “I had a really extreme reaction to something trivial, like him not putting a plate in the dishwasher. And I literally went for him, screaming and shouting. Then I slammed out of the kitchen, slammed the door, ran upstairs and burst into tears in my bedroom."

(Ruth, Eamonn Holmes, and son Jack in 2011)

Ruth recalls being embarrassed about the way she acted, and upon reflection it became clear that she was acting like the teenager - rather than her son.

“I sat there and thought, ‘This is the wrong way round. It should be the teenager who storms off to the bedroom and slams the doors.’

"So I went and found him and said, ‘Look Jack, I’m really sorry I’ve done that. I shouldn’t have shouted at you like that. But I want to explain to you that it’s something called the menopause.’"

Confessing that it wasn't the easiest conversation, Ruth said, “He looked a bit embarrassed but I said, ‘You’ll probably see it with girlfriends when they have their periods.’

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"It was a bit cringey, but I thought he should know that this was happening to his mother and that’s why sometimes I will scream at him or be cranky.”

Ruth revealed that she began going through the menopause last year, but experienced plenty of symptoms of the perimenopause before then.

Speaking to the Daily Mail's You magazine, Ruth admitted that her body began to change in ways she'd never seen before.

“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.

She continued, admitting, “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.”

Loose Women star Ruth Langsford has since revealed that she's been using a bioidentical hormone therapy, which has seen her symptoms improve tenfold.

If you find yourself struggling with menopause symptoms, see your GP, who can help to ease them.

Amy Hunt

Amy Hunt is an experienced digital journalist specialising in homes, interiors and hobbies. She began her career working as the features assistant at woman&home magazine, before moving over to the digital side of the brand where she eventually became the Lifestyle Editor up until January 2022. Amy won the Digital Journalist of the Year award at the AOP Awards in 2019 for her work on womanandhome.com.