Ulrika Jonsson feels "sexier than ever" at the age of 56.

The former model admitted that she "temporarily relished" in turning 40 but since enduring the "onslaught" of the menopause in more recent years, she has been through a "reawakening" of herself.

Writing in her column for The Sun newspaper, she said: "Turning 40 was something I temporarily relished. It was kinda cool to be 40, I thought. Outwardly, I was not old enough to be considered past it and, inwardly, I had a few more years of knowledge and practice which would stand me in good stead.

"Then came the onslaught of the menopause, which turned my mind and body upside down.

"I almost felt that life as I knew it was over. But the best thing about that sentence is that it really was.

"It was like the shedding of a skin, a reawakening and most definitely an upgrade. While I battled hard against the effects of the menopause, I’ve now decided, aged 56, that I feel sexier than ever.

"Easy to say, perhaps, but it really is the truth."

The TV star - who has 15-year-old Malcolm with ex-husband Brian Monet and Cameron, 28, Bo, 23, Martha, 19, from previous relationships - went on to add that her "sexiness" comes from being "free from the shackles" of marriage or early parenthood.

She added: "The “sexiness” I’m talking about doesn’t come from an LBD, sexy underwear, heavy make-up or a new trendy hairdo. It comes from deep within. It stems from acknowledging that I now truly know what I want in life — it’s not something that is blurred by the lines of demanding offspring or an inept partner or even a desire to please other people.

"No, it comes from understanding that I no longer have time for BS in my life.

"If it comes near me, I dismiss it because, quite frankly, this time is about me. t’s little wonder, then, that I had a sexual revolution in what might be deemed to be the “autumn” of my life — my fifties.

"Not only did I feel sexier, more desirable and more desired but I was in a position to act on it because I’d freed myself from the shackles of marriage and nippers.