Former Jarrow midwife turned best-selling writer set to host her own talk on the menopause at home of Manchester United

Maria Anderson, originally from Jarrow, who is a coach and best-selling author, will give a barrier-breaking talk on what’s considered a taboo subject at Manchester United’s ground this Thursday and Friday.

The 55-year-old spent 10 working as a midwife at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Gateshead and Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary, and released bestselling memoir Tales of a Midwife.

The book tells Maria’s highs and lows of delivering babies since she was a 17-year-old trainee.

Her book became a Sunday Times bestseller and saw Maria, who attended St.Wilfrid's School in South Shields, gain a degree and postgraduate diploma in Education at Northumbria University, appear on TV and radio shows.

In 2018, alongside her Quality Improvement Midwife role with NHS Highland, she established Maria Anderson Coaching to empower women and specialises in menopause.

Maria said: “There is a crisis in women’s health, women are experiencing extreme fatigue, low confidence, and loss of identity. Menopause can be life threatening and life limiting. One in ten women contemplate suicide during peri-menopause or menopause. Four out of five women are affected by it every day and there are a million women leaving work in the UK because of menopause symptoms.

“Yet we’re not encouraged to show emotion for fear of being seen as hysterical. So, what’s the alternative? We hide behind a mask. My talk is all about peeling back the mask to start talking about our bodies confidently, instead of putting up and shutting up.”

Maria’s talk takes place during a two-day event called Bee Inspired to fundraise for charity foundation, The Fly Anyway Foundation, which helps survivors of domestic violence rebuild their lives and regain independence.

Bee Inspired organiser, Dani Wallace said: “I can’t wait to see Maria take to the stage - her message is so powerful and needs to be heard by more people.”

Maria Anderson Coaching aims to raise awareness around this life-changing condition, and how it can affect many aspects of a woman’s life.

She added: "I am nervous but excited to speak at Old Trafford. My main worry is trying to keep my life-long support of Newcastle United secret from the venue hosts."