Andrea McLean developed vasculitis after her hysterectomy.
The ‘Loose Women’ panellist went under the knife in September to have her uterus removed but, despite being given the all-clear, she later found out that she had an infection and her immune system began to attack the healthy blood vessels.
Speaking on the lunchtime show on Friday (13.01.17), she said: "I officially had my all clear yesterday. I say officially, because unofficially I was given the all-clear but then I had some complications. I had something called vasculitis- Google it actually don’t Google it because it’s frightening. It can close off your arteries and shut down your organs, it’s really dangerous, but my kids didn’t know and my mum didn’t know, but Nick [her partner] knew and my mum got really upset with me, ‘Why didn’t you tell me.’ "
But it wasn’t just the physical side effects of the operation that Andrea had on her mind as she recently admitted that she thought the surgery would plunge her into depression.
She explained when she returned to the show in October: "I’m so happy to be back with the girls – it’s my first show in six weeks, I’m so hormonal, I could cry.
"It’s just coming up to six weeks since I had the hysterectomy – my biggest fear was mentally falling off a cliff. I was really worried about how it would affect me. Apart from the odd moment of being irrational I’ve been alright."
And the 47-year-old star was glad her loved ones were not there to see her straight after she came out of the operation as she thinks it would be "difficult for them to see" her shaking and convulsing.
Describing what happened after the operation, she explained: "I came around and I was shaking and convulsing – I was very cold. I felt very sick. I was glad [my family] weren’t there because it would have difficult for them to see."
Andrea McLean had vasculitis
