BEAUTY

Star of TV’s Bridgerton Adjoa Andoh opens up about her menopause journey and shares her mid-life skincare essentials

Known worldwide for playing Lady Danbury in Netflix’s hit show Bridgerton and for starring in Casualty – as well as lead theatre roles at the Royal Shakespeare Company – Adjoa Andoh has a stage and TV career spanning over 30 years and counting.

Now, drawing on her real-life experience, the 59-year-old Bristol-born actress, writer and producer has teamed up with beauty brand No7 to raise awareness around the menopause. “I feel for the majority of the population,” she says. “It’s not a conversation, and that’s a shame because it can happen to women from their late 30s, early 40s onwards. You’ve got a hell of a lot of life still to go.”

We caught up with Adjoa while on her way to a fitting for the third series of Bridgerton to talk about her tips for navigating this life stage – and what inspired her to want to help others.

Adjoa, when did you first start to notice symptoms of the menopause?

“Like lots of women, there’s not a single moment. Around my late 40s, early 50s, I was thinking: ‘Where’s my period gone?’ Then: ‘Oh, now we’re back on track… and now we’re not.’ It’s very blurry but becomes increasingly clear that things are shifting. Things I now know, but didn’t when I was going through it, are sleep patterns change, certain foods make you boil – like sugar. Restless sleep and night sweats are clichés, but they are absolutely true. Menopause can affect your concentration, mood swings… lots of things that can interfere with how your life is ticking along. You have to learn how to manage it.