Kate Thornton, once a regular on the 90s celebrity scene alongside Denise Van Outen and Louise Redknapp, now lives a quieter life focused on family and wellness. The former X Factor and Loose Women presenter has candidly shared how menopause reshaped her priorities, pushing sex “to the bottom of her agenda.”
Speaking to Bella magazine, Kate reflected on losing her previous “It Girl” vibe: “Feeling sexy isn’t a drive for me. After the menopause came and mugged me of myself, sex has been bottom of my agenda.” Her focus shifted to regaining her mental wellbeing. “Getting my sanity back has been my reason for all that I do. I spend a lot of time trying to look after myself, not because I want to look great, but because I don’t want to feel like a bag of c*** any more. I feel like I’m in really good shape and I’m happy with where I’m at now.”
Now 53, Kate credits Pilates and cold water swimming for helping her overcome initial menopausal challenges. She shared, “I was in a hormonal dip and friends like Jenny Powell and Tamzin Outhwaite were feeling amazing after it.” Embracing the cold water swimming trend, she humorously admits to becoming a “Dryrobe w****r,” regularly joining friends for chilly dips three or four times a week.
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Aside from her television career, Kate has also launched her own podcast, White Wine Question Time, which features conversations with guests such as Amanda Holden and Princess Eugenie. The show offers insights into their lives and careers, and reflects Kate’s evolving career path after stepping back from Loose Women following the birth of her son, Ben.
Kate also pursued training as a therapist after experiencing setbacks in broadcasting. On her podcast, she opened up about the challenges of solo parenting: “There are a lot of us walking this parenting life on our own and it isn’t easy, and to pretend it is, does a disservice to all of the others that are walking alongside us.” She added, “You don’t want to be seen as complaining, especially when we have the privilege of a well-paid job and blessed with opportunities and all of that good stuff,” emphasizing the importance of honest conversations about parenting pressures.
Since separating from Ben’s father, DJ Darren Emerson, in 2011, Kate has watched her son grow into a young adult with mixed feelings. “I’m no longer invited to the sidelines, it’s just drop me off and leave, my son’s 17, he’s going to be driving himself to his own football matches soon, and it’s gone.” She shared an emotional reflection on this new phase of life: “Now on a Sunday morning when I’m driving past those playing fields full of parents and kids, I literally swallow tears, it’s a grief, I miss it so much, and the work’s still there. I took the risk of stepping back and the day my son finished his last GCSE, I was offered the show that I do now.”
Kate Thornton’s journey is a candid look at the realities of menopause, motherhood, and reinventing oneself with grace and honesty.