Anna Richardson is as direct in real life as she is on TV.
The forthright presenter of Channel 4’s Naked Attraction, on which she happily chats to naked contestants about their bodies and all sorts of intimate subjects, isn’t at all embarrassed to talk about her own body and how ageing is affecting her ‘down there’ – and is keen for women to start being as uninhibited as she is.
“I’d hope people know me well enough now to understand there’s no taboo that’s off limits for me,” she declares. “I’m a big believer in being direct and honest about what’s going on with your health, with your mental health, with your life. I’m very happy to open up.”
A recent survey by vaginal moisturiser brand Replens found 55% of menopausal women are too embarrassed to open up about the more taboo side of menopause, and 52% believe there’s still stigma around having open conversations about it.
“You’ve got the excessive sweating, the heat, putting on weight, but more than that, it’s the vaginal atrophy and the dryness, and women are just too embarrassed to talk about that hidden topic,” says Richardson, who turns 54 at the end of September.
“But I’m very happy to be straight on the nose about these aspects. I’m going through it myself, and I’m one of those women that’s experiencing a degree of vaginal atrophy and pelvic floor incontinence as well – that thing that we just become a little bit too ashamed to talk about.”
Richardson, who was in a relationship with former Great British Bake Off host Sue Perkins for around seven years, is now dating charity boss Simon Marks – and she tells him all about her menopausal symptoms.
“I’m very free and open about the fact I’ve noticed some real changes over the last three years, certainly in terms of my physical health and the physical aspects of menopause. And that includes not only a little bit of incontinence, but certainly atrophy and dryness,” she continues.
“I do discuss it with my partner, and I’m very fortunate in that he’s a very tolerant and curious man. He’s training to be a psychotherapist, so I think it’s partly his training, that he’s listening to what I’m saying. But to be honest, we have these conversations because sex can sometimes be a little bit painful, and I have to be able to say to him, ‘I’m going through the menopause – this is a bit of a challenge and I’ve got a degree of vaginal atrophy’.
“Because we know our libido crashes, we become much drier, and much, much tighter, and that can make sex very, very difficult. So it’s in your interest, and in his interest, to have a conversation about what’s going on, because we want to be healthy as women, but also we want to have healthy intimate relationships, and that’s whether you’re in a gay relationship or a straight relationship. It’s in everybody’s interest to be on top of that conversation and that wellness.”
Richardson says she doesn’t experience hot flushes much, but her weight distribution has changed and she’s experienced increased anxiety, lower self-esteem, and “a little bit of depression, without question”.
But although she talks to her partner about her menopausal symptoms, she suggests women talking to each other about what they’re going through is particularly helpful.
“There’s something about being open with other women and asking open-ended questions of your friends, colleagues and female family members, and saying, ‘Are you going through this as well? What have you experienced?’ I’m a big fan of being direct about it, sharing my own experience, which is why I’m having this conversation now.”
Richardson believes shows like Naked Attraction, which she’s been presenting for eight years, can help too. She says that while it’s “fun” and “sort of ridiculous, if you pick beneath the surface, there’s a more serious side to make it educational. It’s about acceptance and education around different bodies – normalising different bodies,” she adds.
“Having worked now with so many contestants, none of them are embarrassed to talk about their bodies. It’s a younger generation, who aren’t embarrassed at all to talk about their sexual preferences and their bodies.
“I think to a degree, this is a fantastic thing. In normalising it, when those women hit the menopause, we’re not going to have stigma any more about the changes that take place.”
But, what about her own body? It’s definitely changed, she admits.
“I have absolutely noticed in my 50s that my muscle mass has decreased enormously and that my fat has increased. I can see that, whereas I used to be quite toned on my legs and arms, I’m not any more.”
To tackle that, she says she’s doing more weight-bearing exercise two or three times a week – either Pilates, working with a trainer, or resistance training – and she’s “a big fan” of getting outside and walking, aiming for at least 10,000 steps a day.
As far as diet goes, she admits she’s always been a “carb monkey”, and says: “Now that I’ve got into menopause, I’ve had to drastically decrease that, which is so hard to do. I’m teetering on the edge of prediabetes at the moment, so I’m having to decrease my sugars and increase my vegetable and protein intake.”
Richardson once lost two stone after being hypnotised (she’s now a qualified hypnotherapist herself), and says: “I hit my target weight using diet and hypnosis a few years ago, and I got right back down to the weight I was in my 20s.
“Having now hit menopause, I’m struggling, so I’ve put on about 10 pounds and I’m working to get that down. I’m trying to get the balance right, because there’s a danger that we become obsessed, and I can see myself starting to worry and become anxious about it again, which is not healthy. But there’s another side of me that’s going – embrace the fact that you’re soon-to-be a 54-year-old woman, and it’s a natural part of menopause that your weight is distributed in a different way.”
Anna Richardson is working with vaginal moisturiser brand Replens to dispel myths around menopause and help women start conversations with loved ones about it. Visit replens.co.uk
