You don't have to push on - help is available

Chef and former model Lorraine Pascale reveals to SARA KEENAN how therapy has supported her through midlife

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OUR LIPS AREN'T SEALED: Lorraine, third from left, is fronting the BACP's No More Stiff Upper Lip campaign which includes limited edition lipsticks

ALTHOUGH she has always felt confident in speaking out about her feelings, chef and former model Lorraine Pascale says that many women over 50 often feel they need to stay quiet and 'hold it together,' even when struggling.

"I do feel there is that kind of cultural societal pressure to just keep going and to not seem 'weak,' the 53-year-old says. "However, there's a great strength in reaching out to someone for help.

"I was always confused when I was younger with the notion that people didn't speak out and go to therapy," she says. "It's now really important to me to use what I believe and hold dear to encourage others to do the same."

When it comes to her own well-being journey, London-born Lorraine, who has written cookbooks including How To Be A Better Cook and Home Cooking Made Easy, says she spent a lot of her childhood in the foster care system, and was provided with a social worker.

"That was my first foray into therapy," she explains.

After growing up in and out of care, Lorraine says early on she believed the reason she was given away at birth was because she "was not good enough".

She suggests this then led to a "pattern of over-delivering and striving to prove my worth" which then "became the way I lived".

Since the age of 18, Lorraine says: "I've been in and out of therapy and it's amazing."

She suggests that in midlife, therapy is beginning to help her with previous patterns, bringing more balance and self-approval into her life.