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Privacy Notice Dame Kelly Holmes has always been in tune with her body – it’s what enabled her to win two gold medals for Great Britain at the 2004 Summer Olympics in the Women’s 1500m and 800m races. Since retiring from athletics at 35 years old, Kelly has carved a name for herself as a health and fitness advocate, sports commentator and, more recently, a Loose Women panellist. But while she exudes confidence on our TV screens, Kelly, now 54, has been struggling behind the scenes with the menopause – admitting to us that she’d been “in denial” about it. “About three years ago, I was getting bad body pains to the point where I couldn’t even do one push-up,” Kelly says. “If anyone knows me, they know I keep myself fit. So to not be able to do one push-up was alarming. The worst pains were in my wrists, then I ached through to my bones. It was just constant pain, I could feel it in my body the whole time.”
Dame Kelly has been candid about going through the menopause
Kelly was also suffering from insomnia, but at the time was unaware of the link between hormonal changes and sleep disturbance. As the issues continued, the Olympian was advised to undergo tests to determine whether or not she was menopausal. “I did the blood tests, reluctantly, because again, I was in denial of my age and now I realise that’s almost a naive thing to think, as you could experience the menopause from late thirties upwards,” she adds. So the sportswoman scheduled an appointment with a private doctor. “I was not in a great place mentally,” she explains. “But now I know that the menopause was probably a contribution.”
Dame Kelly Holmes has always been in-tune with her body
(Image: David Cummings)
Kelly Holmes Olympics 20th Anniversary Party at the Savoy London
(Image: David Cummings)
The test results revealed she had extremely low oestrogen and testosterone levels, and her doctor suggested she started trying HRT. “But I didn’t want to have HRT, as I didn’t want to put anything I don’t understand into my body,” Kelly says. “But I also knew that I needed to try it. So I started taking it and I realised I didn’t like it.” She soon came off HRT and started taking collagen supplements instead. “I wanted natural ways to feel better. When I started taking collagen, I felt like my body pains were alleviating.” Now Kelly’s in a better place, she wants to educate women on the importance of exercise, especially weight lifting, as a decline in oestrogen levels can cause muscle loss. Kelly explains, “It’s brilliant doing fitness when you’ve been feeling low and it’s important when you’re getting weaker. So weight training has become something important to me.” Giving advice to women going through the menopause, Kelly says, “Conversation is key. And those of you who are suffering, just book that appointment with a doctor. It can really make a huge difference.”Story SavedYou can find this story in My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.Follow OK! MagazineFacebookTwitterCommentMore OnDame Kelly HolmesLoose WomenMenopauseHealth
