Andrea McLean reveals her partner, Nick Feeney, was shocked the first time he saw her scarred body
The presenter opens up about her surgery and says women can be their own worst enemies
“I NEVER fretted about my body until I had children. I knew it would change, but I never realised how much.
When I had Finlay in 2001, I needed an emergency Caesarean, and I had another C-section with my daughter Amy.
Both procedures left me with scars, and in 2011 I had surgery to correct an umbilical hernia, which left me with another unsightly line down my stomach.
Suddenly, whenever I looked in the mirror, my eyes would dart straight to that area and I couldn’t help but feel unhappy with it.
I tried to focus on being positive, but two years ago while on holiday, photos of me walking on the beach were posted online and the comments nearly reduced me to tears. People said I looked pregnant because the scar going from my belly button to just above my bikini bottoms is similar to a linea nigra [a line some pregnant women develop].
One person wrote: ‘Eurgh, look at that mark down her belly.’ It really upset me, as they didn’t know what I’d been through. It was so tough going from never fussing about my body to being so self-conscious.
The first time I got undressed in front of Nick was really nerve-wracking because I was panicking about my stomach.
In the end, I took off my clothes and said: ‘These are my scars and this is who I am.’ Nick was gentlemanly and didn’t say a word, but he’s since admitted he was quite shocked as he’d never seen scars like mine before.
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In September last year, I had to have a hysterectomy because I suffered from endometriosis, which had spread to my bladder and intestines.
Having so many procedures has left my stomach with a number of brutal scars, and this photo shoot is the first time I’ve revealed all of them.
I was terrified beforehand, but afterwards I felt so liberated.
There’s something empowering about baring everything and saying: ‘This is me, accept it or don’t.’
Being body positive is crucial for women because sometimes we can be our own worst enemy.
We have to appreciate that our bodies keep us alive, so there’s no point stressing over a few broken veins, scars or cellulite. I still have bad days, but I try to focus on how healthy my body is.”
Loose Women Body Stories launches 2nd May at 12.30pm on ITV