Emma Barnett on Feeling ‘Robbed’ of Identity After Perimenopause at 38

Emma Barnett has admitted that experiencing perimenopause at 38 left her feeling ‘robbed’ of her identity.

The journalist, now 40, opened up about the transitional phase, explaining that she is still waiting to ‘come back’ to who she was before.

Perimenopause is the stage leading up to menopause, during which the ovaries gradually produce less oestrogen. 

This can cause symptoms such as irregular periods and hot flushes. 

Menopause, meanwhile, marks the point when periods have stopped for 12 consecutive months.

Appearing on her new BBC podcast, Ready To Talk with Emma Barnett, she was joined by guest Kate Thornton, where she admitted it was the ‘first time in my life I haven’t really wanted to be a woman – it’s the first time I’ve thought, I’d really quite like to be a bloke.’

She said: ‘I do feel there has been a theft. I do feel there’s no emergency number to call. ‘I’d like to report a crime.

‘Yeah, someone stole me.’ There is no one to report this to.’

Emma went on to say that she hopes ‘the normalisation – which we both said needs to happen around perimenopause and this degradation of one’s hormones that happens from… the age of 30s right through in women – can move into common parlance.’

It comes just months after Today Programme listeners called out tension between Emma and Nick Robinson on their first show together since ‘clashing egos’ row.

While Emma and Nick, 61, tried to pretend it was business as usual, Radio 4 listeners were less than convinced, noting an icy air between the pair in April.

Used to a jovial rapport between presenters on the BBC flagship radio show, listeners were quick to point out that Emma and Nick said little to nothing to each other throughout the two-hour programme.

One person wrote on X: ‘Loving the top banter between new besties Emma Barnett and Nick Robinson this morning…’

Accompanying the post was a picture of Hannibal Lecter next to Princess Diana to signify the seemingly hostile relations between the pair. 

It comes after The Mail on Sunday revealed the Woman’s Hour host had lodged a complaint about the Today Programme veteran, calling him ‘overbearing’, when she joined the show in April last year.

Another person wrote: ‘Emma Barnett calling Nick Robinson overbearing – talk about the pot calling the kettle black.’

The month prior, it was reported that the two journalists had not appeared together on the show for 90 days, sparking rumours of ‘clashing egos’ and making life difficult for the producers.

Emma and Nick – who is paid up to £349,000 by the BBC – have co-presented Today just 13 times, well short of any other pairings Before their last appearance together in December they had shared the studio just three times in more than 150 days.

Emma is understood to have lodged a complaint about Nick with Deborah Turness, the chief executive of the BBC’s news and current affairs division, after finding her veteran co-host ‘overbearing’.

Insiders said the matter was resolved with no action taken and there had been no suggestion Nick had done anything wrong.

They blamed the ‘inevitable stresses and strains caused by the pairing of two strong characters’ and said the pair had experienced the sort of misunderstanding common between colleagues – but that in this case it had been blown out of proportion.

One source said: ‘Emma made a complaint about Nick,’ adding that tensions have persisted so much that they ‘can’t be on together as she finds him overbearing’.

However other sources at the BBC played down the claims and denied there had been any ‘formal’ complaint to Ms Turness.