Andrea McLean collapsed in tears hours before going live on Loose Women

25 July 2022

Andrea McLean collapsed in tears hours before going live on 'Loose Women'.

Andrea McLean collapsed hours before going on to present Loose Women

The 52-year-old star - who anchored the lunchtime chat show between 2007 and 2020 - explained that she had been "pushing herself" too hard when she ended up suffering burnout.

She said: "I was getting up at five in the morning, I was in the gym for half six, I was working out I was pushing myself really hard to be the fittest I’ve ever been,’ she said. ‘I wanted to be the most productive I’ve ever been. And, but there were two things happening.

‘One, I was worrying with stress. I was also becoming more and more exhausted. Until the point where I felt like I was short-circuiting."

The former 'GMTV' weather girl - who is married to businessman Nick Feeney but has children Finlay, 21, and Amy, 16, from previous relationships - went on to explain that she went on air to do the show but upon returning home immediately discussed things with her hsuband and the pair went to counselling together.

Speaking on Metro.co.uk's 'Mentally Yours' podcast, she added: "I was supposed to be on the TV in a couple of hours and I literally fell to the floor and started crying and I was so relieved that someone had called me out. And what happened next was eventually kind of pulled myself together and went on and did the show and everything else. And then I came home and said to my husband, we need to have a chat. And I told him everything that I’ve been feeling, and I was very fortunate in that I am in love with a human being who is aware of our need for communication and growth as anyone could wish for.

"His first reaction was, 'As your husband, I’m horrified that I didn’t see this, how can I love you as much as I love you and not even know that this was happening?. So firstly, you need, you need help, and you need counselling, you need to go and speak to someone about all these feelings that you’re having. And then we need to have counselling together. So that I never miss this again!'"