Andrea McLean collapsed in tears hours before going live on Loose Women during breakdown: ‘I was so relieved someone called me out’-Cydney Yeates-Entertainment – Metro

Andrea McLean has opened up on her mental health journey (Picture: Getty)

Andrea McLean has revealed how she fell to the floor in tears just hours before she was due to appear on Loose Women during a mental breakdown.

The 52-year-old presenter, who quit the ITV daytime programme in November 2020, explained that she began to spiral after being forced to confront some uncomfortable memories on SAS: Who Dares Wins in earlier that year.

Although Andrea cites that her time on the Channel 4 challenge show changed her life, she struggled to contain those painful thoughts, feelings and emotions, so instead tried to keep her mind busy.

Speaking exclusively on Metro.co.uk’s podcast Mentally Yours, Andrea shared details of her burnout, which ultimately led to her breaking down in front of a friend.

‘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.

Andrea broke down in tears just hours before she was due to be on Loose Women (Picture: ITV)

‘I felt like I if you ever see a movie of a robot short-circuiting, that’s what my brain felt like. And for me, the moment came when a friend of mine stood in front of me, literally, like Wonder Woman in front of a speeding train.

‘She just put her hand out and she just went, “just stop whatever it is you think you’re doing, whoever you think you’re kidding, whatever you think you’re trying to achieve. You’re not well, and I can see it, you’re just spinning, just stop”. ‘

Andrea added that the situation had occurred at work. ‘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,’ she continued.

‘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.’

Andrea revealed her breakdown to her husband Nick (Picture: Getty)

Andrea’s husband Nick was horrified that he hadn’t noticed his wife’s breakdown (Picture: Getty)

Andrea shared that her husband Nick was mortified that he hadn’t spotted the signs of his wife’s breakdown.

He also suggested that they attend couples counselling together to ensure that he wouldn’t miss the tell-tale signs again.

‘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”.’

Before speaking on Mentally Yours, Andrea previously told Metro that she felt ‘really fortunate’ that she went through her breakdown a year before the pandemic ‘because it meant I had all my processes in place to help me handle the extra stress well’.

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Sharing advice for someone struggling, she added: ‘But on days now when I feel things are getting too much, the best bit of advice is to step back and only control what you can.

‘When you have a breakdown, you have a feeling of being overwhelmed and a sense that you can’t cope any more. So step back and bring your world very close.’

You can listen to Mentally Yours on Spotify, Audioboom, and Apple Podcasts.

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