A Place in the Sun presenter Lucy Alexander has revealed she nearly turned down the gig because she is perimenopausal, and has no qualms telling the all-male crew she’s having a hot flush.
The 54-year-old property expert confirmed last month she had landed a permanent role on A Place in the Sun and has been jetting off to various locations once a month to film the programme.
The Homes Under the Hammer host said: ‘I wasn’t sure whether I should take the job at first. Being perimenopausal, I was worried about having hot flushes in a hot country.
‘I thought, ”Maybe this is just for younger people?” But then I thought, ”Come on, Lucy, don’t be silly.”’
‘My friend Ruth Langsford gave me a cooling scarf, which helps – and I have no qualms saying to an all-male crew, ”Hold on, I’m having a hot flush, I need a minute”.
A Place in the Sun presenter Lucy Alexander, 54, has revealed she nearly turned down the gig because she is perimenopausal
Ms Alexander shares two children with the ex-Premier League footballer Stewart Castledine – Leo, 18, and Kitty, 21, who was left paralysed 14 years ago after contracting Transverse Myelitis.
The mother-of-two said: ‘I feel like my career is having a second wind in my 50s.
‘Presenting A Place In The Sun is the most perfect job at a perfect time in my life.
‘I spend most evenings googling holidays and houses anyway, and now my children are grown up, I can go away without worrying about them!
‘Earlier in my career, I was always clock-watching, phoning the kids, helping them with their homework, but now I can stop and smell the roses.’
From its launch in 2003 until departing in 2016, Ms Alexander presented BBC’s Homes Under the Hammer alongside Martin Roberts, providing her with the skills and expertise in property that made her perfect for the Place in the Sun role.
The offer from Channel 4 came more than 25 years after her first TV gig and Ms Alexander said: ‘Getting older in front of the camera is hard.
‘I don’t look like I did in my 40s but I made a decision that I wasn’t going to let that hold me back.
The Homes Under the Hammer host said: ‘I have no qualms saying to an all-male crew, ”Hold on, I’m having a hot flush, I need a minute”
From its launch in 2003 until departing in 2016, Ms Alexander presented BBC’s Homes Under the Hammer alongside Martin Roberts
‘I’ve had to work hard on my confidence, but I feel good in my 50s.
‘It’s not always easy for women my age, but the older we get, the more life experience we have, and we still have a lot to give.
‘I’m not hanging up my television presenting boots yet.’
Ms Alexander has several episodes coming up with A Place in the Sun this year and added she had agreed to take part in the programme’s spin-off show, titled What Happened Next.
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