No.1 for Interviews - Andrea McLean

Andrea McLean

‘Loose Woman’ Andrea McLean talks friendship, family, fun behind the scenes and the consequences of revealing too much about yourself on national TV with Cara Kennedy

Andrea McLean has been a permanent fixture in our homes for the past decade. Working as GMTV’s ‘weather girl’ for 11 and a half years, she delivered the good news (dry with sunny intervals) and the bad (gale force winds, torrential rain, hail, sleet, snow) to us daily in such a straight-forward, matter-of-fact manner that we didn’t mind stepping out doors – whatever the weather! And it was precisely those qualities that landed her on the formidable Loose Women panel and helped secure her position as one of the viewers’ favourites. Having just given up GMTV to work on the supremely successful show full time, we caught up with Glasgow-born Andrea to find out just what being on the famously frank-talking programme is like, if she has ever got herself in hot water for revealing too much about her private life and why the Loose Women have decided to sit down and write a book!

Loose Women has become a real cult programme – why do you think it is so popular?
I think the reason women really like it is because we are exactly like everybody else. We’re not all young, skinny, long-haired, long-legged girls looking gorgeous and saying vacuous things – not that there’s anything wrong with that if you do happen to fit into that category! [Laughs] I’m 39, I’ll be 40 this year and the rest of the girls are anywhere from my age up to 60 in Linda’s case. We’re all shapes and sizes and we represent a complete cross section of opinions, values and experiences. Nobody is sitting there all dressed up and just being polite and lovely; we are just being completely honest and we sometimes have massive rows – not in a bad way of course, not in real life behind the scenes – but we do have huge disagreements like everybody does and then we move on and talk about something else. We have all developed a friendship that allows us to do that.

You ‘Loose Women’ sometimes get a bit of a hard time – especially from men.
When I first joined people used to say to me, “Oh you’re on that shouty programme where women hate men!” I used to have to tell them that they were missing the point and that it wasn’t like that at all. The whole idea that we hate men is ridiculous. We take the mickey out of men but we love them – we love them to pieces! We are getting more and more men watching the programme now and I get them sidling up to me in supermarkets, furtively looking around and whispering, “I actually quite like that programme you do – but don’t tell my wife!”

Is it fun to make because it looks fun?
It’s brilliant fun. Now as I have left GMTV this is my main job and I love going in. I get to dress up a little bit, see all my girlie friends and have a real belly laugh and then come home again.

In light of the television scandals that have been rocking the likes of the BBC, do ITV keep a close eye on you to make sure you’re not saying anything you shouldn’t?
No not at all. I think the magic of Loose Women is that we are all real so nobody tells us what to say or what our opinions should be. We are all sensible grown-ups so as long as we don’t ever say anything insulting about someone who isn’t there to defend themselves – which I guess means we can be very insulting as long as they’re there [laughs hysterically] – then we are fine. We are very much left to our own devices.

Do you sometimes find yourself regretting having said something?
All the time, especially if I am talking about Steve! Sometimes I think, ‘Oh this will be really funny’ and I say it and I just hear the audience take a collective sharp intake of breath and I think, ‘Oh no, he’s not going to appreciate that!’

Do you get in trouble when you get home?
No because he doesn’t watch it! [Laughs] But the other week me and Steve and a load of friends went to a fancy dress party and we all dressed up as Elvis. It was a fantastic night and I showed a picture of Steve and I dressed up on the show. When I got off air there was a message from Steve saying, ‘I gather from the amount of messages and texts I’ve just received you just showed that picture of us dressed as Elvis!’ Luckily he takes it all in his stride but I am terrible because I never think to check anything with him!

Obviously, all the women on the show have experienced different trials and tribulations in life and you all discuss them on air, do you find the experience therapeutic at times?
Definitely, without a shadow of a doubt. The girls have been like my counsellors because I’m quite a private person and I don’t find it that easy to open up. They’ve really challenged me and pushed me to speak my mind and explain the reasoning behind my beliefs. They’ve really made me challenge my own opinions and views on things and realise that maybe I’ve been a bit blinkered at times. I’ve realised that I have to see things from other sides, think outside the box. I’ve changed for the better, I’m a lot more open minded and a lot more relaxed but most interestingly I’m a lot more feisty!

The book Loose Women: Girls Night In has just been released – tell us how a book of the series came about?
Basically the book is just as if we are all sitting there chatting as you’re reading. We all sat down with a journalist who asked us all the same questions and we were just as we are – very honest. There are also bits in there from the show so you’ll read it and think, ‘I remember when that happened!’ It’s split into sections and it’s just all our opinions on different things and it really is us at our most honest. 

How did you put it all together? Was it not difficult for all seven of you to work on it at once?
We did it all separately and it’s really interesting reading the other girls’ opinions on things. I found myself saying, “I didn’t think she’d say that!” One of the really interesting bits is where we all give our opinions on each other and I have to admit I flicked straight to that bit thinking, ‘What does Carol really think about me? What does Jane really think?’ We are all such different characters and I would love to be a bit more like all of them. If I could take little pieces of Carol and Jane and Colleen then I think that is what would make the perfect woman!

You’ve just left GMTV after being there for over 10 years – was it a difficult decision to make?
I thought about it long and hard but it was very difficult juggling GMTV, Loose Women and being a mum. I was very tired and I eventually got to the stage where I thought, ‘Life is too short to feel this tired and if I have this opportunity to not get up at half three in the morning any more then I’m going to take it!’

Have you watched GMTV since you’ve not been on it – how did it make you feel?
Do you know, I’ve probably only caught it a handful of times – it’s Peppa Pig and SpongeBob SquarePants that’s on in our house! [Laughs] But in a way that has helped because I’m not having to look at the screen thinking, ‘I should be there!’

You have two children and your youngest, your daughter Amy, has just turned two – how do you fit in motherhood with your career?
I was shattered when I was doing the two jobs but you just keep on going. I’m lucky that I’m a naturally cheerful person so I keep going but I soon find that at the end of the day my smile is very forced! Having given up GMTV I don’t think that the children have noticed too much of a difference apart from the fact that I’m around more but Steve has noticed a massive change. Once the kids used to go to bed I would just flop and would probably only last half an hour and then I would have to go to bed! Now I’m capable of holding a conversation. We’ve also finally managed to find a babysitter so we’re able to go out just the two of us – on dates! Just to be able to make time for me again and to feel like I have a life outside of work is just the best feeling

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