Singer Gabrielle: ‘I was snappy and moody’ on tour after skipping HRT

Popstar Gabrielle has revealed that stopping taking her menopause treatment during her latest tour turned her “snappy”.

The 54-year-old, who shot to fame in the 1990s with hits Dreams and Out of Reach, recently finished a 32-date UK and Ireland tour – during which she ran out of Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) patches.

“Everyone actually got to experience the Gabrielle who was not on HRT which is not really nice,” she told the PA news agency, adding: “I was more snappy and a bit more moody.

“I’d run out because I was on tour. You actually have blood tests and stuff, and I had no time to go and get blood tests done. I just thought, ‘Oh, it’s fine. I’m sure I’d be alright, but I actually wasn’t!”.

The singer – who previously opened up about struggling in her heavy Masked Singer costume “as a menopausal woman” when she appeared on the ITV show in 2021 – said her manager and other people close to her on the tour asked her what was happening.

“I got them in the end and the difference was evident – everyone was happy. The moment I was back on it, it was my God who’s this in the building? So it was crucial,” said Gabrielle, whose full name is Louise Gabrielle Bobb.

“Some people are luckier than others when it comes to symptoms. But I realised that, yeah, I can’t be without my patches.”

Exercise and eating well, as well as being mindful to take HRT, has helped her manage menopause symptoms. “I felt that the moment I was on board with everything, life just got so much easier,” she said.

Back with a new album this May, A Place In Your Heart, Gabrielle, who is backing a campaign by Actimel Plus to encourage people to support their immune systems in winter, said taking care of her health in the lead-up to the tour was key – especially now she’s in her 50s.

The 32-date tour was the longest she’s ever done – and, as a grandmother now, she needed to be prepared.

“It was incredible, (but) as you can imagine I had o be well on top of doing all the things that help my immune system – just to stay well and get through the shows.

“When it comes to preparation, a lot went into it, I had to really think about things that I ate and what I drank and what I didn’t. Hydration was the key. I am vitamin D-deficient,” shared the mum-of-two, whose grandson is nine months old.

“I couldn’t have done (the tour) if I hadn’t thought really long and hard about how I was going to look after myself.

“When I got home, I didn’t sleep for 24 hours -I’m in my 50s! I thought this is only something I did when I was younger, but I had the energy. I just feel the best I’ve ever felt – as long as I’m on the HRT.”

The singer, who also recently did a surprise performance of her song Sunshine to commuters at London’s Waterloo station, said: “When you get to this point in your life, you tend to be a bit more health-conscious, because I’m a grandma now – I need all the energy I can get!

“I’m 100% embracing life in my 50s. I’m prioritising things that bring me joy. Anything I don’t want to do, I don’t do it.”