She quit her role as Loose Women anchor last year after 13 years on the ITV show.
And Andrea McLean has admitted to worrying that she’d ‘never earn a penny’ or be forced to ‘sell her house’ after leaving the daytime show to work on her website This Girl Is On Fire, among other projects.
Speaking on the next instalment of Natalie Anderson’s podcast The Capsule in Conversation, obtained by The Sun Online, the presenter, 51, revealed that she and husband Nick Feeney discussed in depth the logistics of her huge career change.
Fears: Andrea McLean has admitted to worrying that she’d ‘never earn a penny’ or be forced to ‘sell her house’ after quitting Loose Women (pictured in 2019)
She explained: ‘I knew I had to take a deep breath and just be brave.
‘So Nick and I sat down and we worked out, very logically, leaving a job that you’ve done for two decades and it’s all you’ve ever known really, to absolutely turn right and do something very different, is a very emotional experience as well as a very practical one.’
She continued: ‘We sat down and said “what’s the worst thing that can happen?” Right I never earn a penny. We’ll have to sell the house. We may have to sell the children, maybe the dog!’
Goodbye: The presenter, 51, left the ITV show last December after 13 years to work on her website This Girl Is On Fire, among other projects (pictured on her last day)
The former weather reporter then told how once she and Nick had looked at all possibilities, she finally decided to take the plunge.
She went on: ‘We went through the list and once I knew I had coping strategies in place for every worst case scenario, I’d already looked them in the eye and said, “yep, I can live with that” and “I can live with that as well”.
‘I knew I could do it, so let’s do it, so I just jumped and it is the most euphoric and terrifying experience at the same time.
‘You jump, but what if I fall and face plant? But what if I fly. It’s one of my favourite quotes.’
Decisions: Speaking on the next instalment of Natalie Anderson’s podcast The Capsule in Conversation , obtained by The Sun Online, Andrea revealed that she and husband Nick Feeney discussed in depth the logistics of her huge career change (pictured together in 2019)
The TV star went on to explain that she feels proud of herself for taking the risk and following her dreams.
She said: ‘And now I proudly hold my hand up and say I am a female entrepreneur and the head of a gym for the mind.
‘We show women how to retrain their thoughts so they don’t feel trapped and scared, I kind of feel like I’m at the front saying “follow me guys”.’
Andrea has thrown herself into the business since leaving Loose Women and This Girl Is On Fire launched a special membership on its website on February 1.
Worries: ‘We sat down and said “what’s the worst thing that can happen?” Right I never earn a penny. We’ll have to sell the house. We may have to sell the children, maybe the dog!’
As well as her encouraging blog and website which covers wellness and lifestyle, the journalist has also written a best-selling book under the same business name.
After stepping down from Loose Women after 13 years on the show in December, Andrea admitted she agonised over the decision for months.
In an interview with OK! Magazine she said: ‘It was such a slow burner. By the time it came around, it felt like absolutely the right thing to do. It was a weird decision – it did feel scary!’
‘It took months of thinking about it. We were preparing for the worst and hoping for the best. Nick and I sat down and wrote what we needed to prepare for.’
Brave: ‘We went through the list and once I knew I had coping strategies in place for every worst case scenario, I’d already looked them in the eye and said, “yep, I can live with that” (pictured with her former Loose Women co-stars)
She continued: ‘Worst case – we would have to sell the house. Best, the This Girl Is On Fire membership and website we’ve set up works and we’re successful with that.’
Andrea and Nick now both work full time on the business, with Nick’s daughter also on board.
When she announced her plans to leave Loose Women in November, Andrea broke down in tears and also detailed how her departure was also linked to her nervous breakdown.
Andrea explained: ‘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. I, like many people, did that and thought, ‘Do I want my life to go back to the normal that it was before?’
New focus: The TV presenter and her husband Nick Feeney (pictured together) now both work full time on the business, with Nick’s daughter also on board
She told viewers: ‘Last year I had a nervous breakdown and this year the world has had a breakdown. This year I’ve been really mentally strong to deal with everything the pandemic has thrown at us.
‘You get one life, are you living it the way you want? Are you being brave? Are you doing the thing you want?’
Becoming emotional, Andrea added: ‘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…
‘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.’
Candid: Andrea admitted it did feel ‘scary’ deciding to step away from the show after 13 years and said she and Nick prepared ‘for the worst and hoped for the best’ (pictured on her final episode of Loose Women)