Penny Lancaster has opened up about being left on the floor “in a ball of sweat and tears” during a health battle.

Penny Lancaster opened up on about her health (Image: The Dr Louise Newson Podcast)

Rod Stewart’s wife, Penny Lancaster, 54, has candidly opened up about her health in a new podcast episode where she addressed her menopause journey and the toll it took on her body. Speaking on the latest episode of The Dr Louise Newson Podcast, Penny expanded on the moment her symptoms became overwhelming.

She said: “Yeah, I mean that really slippery slope that I went on, you know, when I was like 49, kind of crying out for help in the middle of lockdown. I was literally just on the floor in a ball of sweat and tears and just panicking. And then my GP, who I had at the time, male, just responded to the tears with antidepressants.”

Penny Lancaster and Rod Stewart have been together for years (Image: Getty Images)

Initially, Penny thought she was suffering from depression, but later realised, following a conversation on the ITV show Loose Women, that her symptoms could be related to menopause.

“I thought I was depressed,” Penny explained. “I hadn’t had any knowledge on what menopause was.”

The star also spoke out on testosterone therapy for women, venting her frustrations about the situation.

She explained: “Because someone – I would think it was probably a male- has decided that women don’t need that.”

Dr Newson and Penny talked about how testosterone can be beneficial for some women and how symptom-led care remains essential to menopause support.

Opening up on how her rock legend husband dealt with Penny’s health struggles, she said: “(Rod was) very concerned…I used to lie in a hammock in the chicken area and hide, like I cocooned myself up and just wanted to shut myself off from everyone, like don’t come to me, I’m no use to you kind of feeling.”

She added: “(We need to) bring men into the conversation… They’re standing right by our sides, scratching their heads, and they’re panicking, and then of course it can very easily end in marriage breaks down.”