Lisa Snowdon shares her experience of domestic violence and the menopause

Watch: Lisa Snowdon on domestic violence and the ‘pain and hurt’ she experienced

Lisa Snowdon is one of the UK’s most successful media figures. A TV and radio presenter, podcaster, former Gucci and Vogue model, successful women’s health campaigner… the list goes on.

However, early in her career, the star’s life was marked by five years of abuse at the hands of an unnamed former partner.

“It’s still hard for me to talk about it,” Snowdon Kate Thornton, 50, told Yahoo’s British podcast White Wine Question Time. “I put it off… for a long time. I didn’t have the tools to actually process what I went through.”

The abuse began when Snowdon, now 50, was a young model still suffering from low self-esteem left by bullying at school. Her abuser left her with a broken arm and black eyes, and threatened to kill anyone she told. It ended when she plucked up the courage to run away and her belongings were thrown into bin bags.

Decades have passed since I was comforting a participant in the program Britain’s Next Top Modelthat the presenter decided to go public with her story. “I saw how much she was suffering,” she said. “I just had to… show her that she wasn’t alone and that it had happened to me.”

Revealing that domestic violence has happened to public figures like Snowdon, who once famously dated Hollywood star George Clooney, has sparked public outrage. But she refuses to back down. “You can have such brilliant breakthroughs without having these powerful conversations,” she said.

Read more: Giovanna Fletcher tells of ‘terrible’ bullying at school: ‘My family moved as a result’

Snowdon now splits her time between media and campaigning. She has worked with Refuge, which has seen a 25% increase in calls to its domestic violence helpline during lockdown. “I know how hard it is when you… can’t get out of it,” she told Thornton. “So I wanted to highlight that… just offer some comfort.

Listen to the full episode to hear Lisa Snowdon talk about her experiences of domestic violence, as well as her recent struggles with the menopause

During lockdown, she also felt “brave enough” to start talking about her personal experiences of the menopause, including low moods, hair loss and feeling “crazy”. “It’s the loneliest, scariest place to be,” she told Thornton. “You don’t recognise yourself.”

Snowdon sought help from menopause specialist Dr. Naomi Potter. Today, she co-hosts a podcast Midweek Menopause Madness with Dr. Potter, sharing and discussing the “tools” she’s learned. “I want to do this for all the women who feel like they just want to fade into the background and give up and become invisible,” she said, “because that’s unacceptable to me.”

Snowdon is currently campaigning to “bring about changes in Parliament” so that women can access “free” and easy hormone therapy, as well as introducing menopause education in schools.

“They teach us about periods, pregnancy, puberty — perimenopause is never mentioned, menopause is never mentioned,” she told Thornton. “The men in our lives need to know about this, too. Men are affected, too — they’re our partners. They’re our colleagues.”

After feeling better, Snowdon appeared on MasterChef 2022 Star“I don’t think I could have done it two years ago,” she said, “but I thought, ‘Since I’m in this good position… I’ll do it quickly.’ I haven’t been able to get to the top in the past I’m a star. Get me out of here! AND Dancing with the StarsThis time she decided to do it better.

Not that working in a hot kitchen during menopause has been easy. “I’m sweating. I’m getting hot flashes!” she joked. “They’re yelling, and then you’ve got knives, and it’s, you know, really dangerous!”

Read more: Lisa Snowdon felt ‘pressure’ to strip at ‘I’m A Celebrity’ party

Although she stressed that she “didn’t actually say anything really bad to him,” Chef Judge Gregg Wallace asked: “Can I get down to business now, I have a really tough task ahead of me!”

Snowdon’s competitive spirit and resilience paid off as she was crowned Celebrity MasterChef Champion 2022.

Today, the presenter’s difficult early experiences are far behind her.

Happily engaged to entrepreneur George Smart, with whom she had been friends for 15 years, she told Thornton she felt a “fire” in her “belly” and that she was “just getting started.”

Through her campaigning and charity work, she is more determined than ever to ensure that she never abandons those struggling with the same issues she once had to struggle with.