Suranne Jones seems to be on a one-woman mission to empower the female sex, and her heartfelt admission about her battle with the perimenopause is just one such example.
The actress, 45, has already done more than most in the so-called battle of the sexes. For starters, she’s clawed her way to the top of the showbusiness ladder, and we mean that literally – did you see her nails in Corrie?
Suranne went on to give hope to ditched wives everywhere when she took on the role of revenge-seeking Doctor Foster in the TV series of the same name. Oh, and she played landowner and industrialist Anne Lister in Gentleman Jack, a woman who was rocking women’s rights before most people knew how to spell the word feminist.
Now, the Vigil star has joined the likes of Davina McCall, Ruth Langsford, and Martine McCutcheon in speaking honestly about her perimenopause and menopause symptoms.
Vigil star Suranne Jones on perimenopause symptoms
Actress Suranne Jones – known for her performances in Scott & Bailey, Save Me, and Vincent – has admitted that she was “knackered” every day after filming Vigil.
In a recent interview with the Guardian to promote the BBC show, the journalist asked if she took her work home with her after filming. She replied: “With Vigil it was fine because I was so knackered. And I’m a woman during perimenopause, so I’m just wiped out by this.”
She added: “We were also in Morocco, and it was boiling hot and there were other things to think about.”
Talking about how she combats the symptoms of the perimenopause, she added: “I’m big on wellness, because of the long hours and the fact that you’re doing stuff that is repeated bodily trauma, and sometimes your body doesn’t know the difference. So wellbeing on set is a big thing of mine that I want to keep pushing forward.”
Suranne is ‘big on wellness’
She went on to explain that she has improved her work-life balance, by never working when her seven-year-old son is off school. Suranne explained: “It’s very simple, and I don’t know why I didn’t think of this before: whenever my son is off school I don’t work. And it feels really good. So I never work in summer and Christmas, and whenever he’s on half-term I say I’m not working.”
The actress revealed she is now in a position to turn down jobs, because she’s “worked for 20 years”. She revealed: “So I think I’ve really found the balance. But that took a long time. A lot of mistakes, and a very public breakdown to get to this point where it works.”
Suranne on her breakdown
In 2018, Suranne pulled out of Bryony Lavery’s play Frozen. This was acting on doctors’ advice not to perform. Adjusting to life as a new mum and losing her own mother to dementia, Suranne began to struggle with her huge workload. While starring in the West End play, Suranne began to suffer hallucinations and collapsed on stage.
Despite the collapse, Suranne went on to film a full series of Gentleman Jack. It was only at the end of filming that Suranne suffered a breakdown.
Four years later, in 2022, the actress revealed she had quit acting for a while to concentrate on her mental health. She returned to therapy, and began taking medication – and then Covid hit.
During the pandemic, Suranne tragically lost her father Chris to Covid. The loss left her devastated, but going back on medication and into therapy helped her cope.
The tough times prompted Suranne to quit acting for a while. She said: “I’ve had a ‘no’ policy from the beginning of the year. I’m not ready to film anything yet because I’m enjoying the life that I’ve got. […] You are so absent from your life when you are on a big show.”
She added that she was focusing on her family, husband Laurence and their son. She also admitted she’s “been in therapy for 20 years”.
Read more: Suranne Jones reveals plans to step away from acting to pursue new career path
Suranne Jones returns in Vigil series 2, starting on Sunday, December 10, 2023 at 9pm on BBC One.
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