Emma Bunton has blamed perimenopause for destroying her sex life.

The 47-year-old Spice Girls star started experiencing symptoms three years ago when she was 44 revealing her libido disappeared and she was suffering from brain fog and anxiety - confessing she felt like she was "going mad" as she was crying a lot and becoming more forgetful.

She told The Times magazine: "My desire, my libido, whatever you want to call it, it went and that really worried me. Even after 24 years together, Jade and I still really fancy each other, but instead of acting on it, it was more like: 'Shall we watch the last episode of 'Succession'? Or just 'zzzzzz' [sleep] rather than ripping each other's clothes off. And that fading desire is a big, big shock for a woman."

She added of her other symptoms: "Some days I thought I was going mad - I'd be crying or forget what me and the family did the previous day or I'd put my car keys in the fridge."

In her joint interview with husband Jade - father of her two children Beau, 15, and Tate, 11 - Emma credits the former Damage star with supporting her through the tough times. She added of her husband: "Jade has been a total hero."

Emma also leaned on her friends and her mum as well as a doctor specialising in menopause before starting on hormone replacement therapy (HRT) which helped manage her symptoms and revive her sex life.

The singer started eating a healthier diet including more fruit and vegetables, taking supplements and getting more exercise and she is now feeling much better.

She concluded: "I feel great - that's the weird thing about menopause. Some days I know objectively that life is fine and I'm very lucky, yet I feel so tearful. But we are at the mercy of hormones and the sooner women realise that, the quicker they can move on."