After an incredible 13 years lighting up our screens, Andrea McLean is waving goodbye to Loose Women.
Breaking down in tears, the much-loved presenter explained she wanted to "see what the universe has in store" and help as many women as possible.
Andrea made the difficult decision to step down from the Loose Women panel to focus on her website and brand, 'This Girl is on Fire', to support women with their mental health and confidence.
The popular host also left colleagues and friends Linda Robson, Brenda Edwards and Saira Khan in tears as she revealed she would be leaving at Christmas.
During her emotional exit speech, Andrea explained that her devastating nervous breakdown, where she heartbreakingly suffered from suicidal thoughts, had a profound impact on her life.
Andrea came out stronger from her traumatic ordeal and felt mentally strong enough to deal with the coronavirus pandemic, which made her come to a life-changing decision.
"Like so many people this has been a time to hugely reflect and think back. So many people have been talking about how they can’t wait for life to get back to normal," said Andrea on today's Loose Women.
"I, like many people, did that and thought, ‘Do I want my life to go back to the normal that it was before?’
"Obviously last year I had a nervous breakdown and what I felt is that this year collectively the world has had a breakdown.
"The experience that I had has meant that this year that I have actually been mentally really strong to deal with everything that the pandemic threw at all of us but it made me stop and think, ‘What do I actually want?’"
She continued: "You get one life, are you living it the way that you want? And are you doing everything that you want to do? Are you being brave? Are you taking chances? And I realised, no."
In October this year, Andrea bravely opened up on the dark night where she wanted to take her own life.
Andrea was in a hotel room for work when months of money worries and stress culminated in a sudden onslaught of suicidal feelings.
"Unless someone’s been there it’s impossible to describe," she told The Mirror. "It lasted a night and it was the longest night, dark and horrible. I was on the floor, pacing the room and crying."
"The next morning I got up off the floor and went to work. I spent a whole day pretending everything was fine. By the time I got home I thought, ‘It’s passed. I still don’t feel right but I don’t want to think about it any more.’ So I never mentioned it."
Andrea didn't tell anyone, not even husband Nick Feeney, who only discovered how low she had been after reading it in her book, This Girl is on Fire.
"Nick didn’t find out until he read about it in the book, he was devastated," said Andrea, who felt like she had to put on a brave face.
The motivation behind the memoir was to show struggling women how they can learn to love life again.
"I wanted to show I totally get how you’re feeling, I’ve felt like that," she said. "People said, ‘Don’t write about having a breakdown, people will think you can’t cope. Well, I couldn’t. But I can now."
Andrea has previously opened up on suffering from panic attacks when she started her TV career as a GMTV weather girl in 1997.
The first happened when a man knocked her flying on the Underground, but by her 40s she had learned to control most attacks with breathing techniques.
"Nobody helped and I had a panic attack on the platform. It feels like you’re having a heart attack,” she says. “It took years to know what they were," she said.
Andrea has also bravely revealed she suffered from imposter syndrome when she started on Loose Women 13 years ago, admitting she felt like a fraud.
The only way she could make it through the shows amid her anxiety battle was to pretend to be co-star Kaye Adams.
“I’d think ‘What would Kaye Adams say?'," explained Andrea on TV host and pop culture expert Nick Ede’s ImPODster Syndrome podcast in July this year.
"That was the first time I’d massively felt imposter syndrome. I had to tell myself my bosses wouldn’t have offered me the job if I couldn’t do it.”
Now more than a decade later, Andrea is leaving Loose Women after becoming one of the much-loved presenters.
"I didn’t think I was going to cry. I’ve told you ladies just before we came on air. I’m going to be leaving Loose Women because I want to be brave," she told her co-stars during ane motional show.
"All the incredible feedback that I had from my book and the support I was able to give them, I want to bring it to life.
"It was a really, really big decision to jump and see if I fall or if I fly. And I just thought, I will never know unless I try, so I am saying goodbye to Loose Women."
Getting choked up, Linda Robson said: "I am going to miss you so much, Andrea. Honestly you have been amazing and a real good friend to me. When I was going through my depression and everything, you were the one that was ringing all the time to see that I was okay."
Andrea went on to reveal how the decision was completely her own and she received incredible support behind the scenes.
"ITV have been amazing,” she said. "I have been anchoring Loose Women for 13 years now and I have been part of ITV daytime for 23 and actually the team have been so wonderful [saying] ‘Can we help, can we give you less days so you can focus on your business?’
"I am not saying goodbye to telly either… You just never know unless you try, I just want to put myself out there, see what the universe has in store, help as many women as I possibly can in whatever that means but for now it means with my website and all the love and effort that I am putting into that, that will be my focus."
Andrea concluded the show by saying: "This is not goodbye, it’s au revoir because I am still going to be here right up until Christmas!"
