Loose Women's Andrea McLean says 'never told anyone' over split from co-star husband

The ITV presenter opened up about her two divorces and how her children had coped

Loose Women star Andrea McLean was visibly moved during a heartfelt conversation with her daughter Amy about the end of her second marriage. The popular television host opened up about her personal experiences with motherhood and family on the Happy Mum, Happy Baby podcast, hosted by Giovanna Fletcher.

During a candid chat with Giovanna, Andrea spoke about the difficulties she faced when discussing her divorces with her children, Finlay and Amy. Her first husband was BBC producer Nick Green, with whom she shares her son Finlay, and then she married Steve Toms, her co-presenter on Our House and father to her daughter Amy, born in November 2006.

Andrea and Steve had a stunning summer wedding in August 2009. Yet, their union ended, and in January 2012 Andrea surprised her fans by revealing that she and Steve had separated after a year-long effort to mend their relationship.

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On the podcast with Giovanna, Andrea shared: "I commuted to Loose Women and never told anyone that I was now living at mum and dad's. And then I came back down to Surrey and I told [the kids] that [Steve] had gone away with work."

She detailed her thoughtful strategy in preparing her children for the change, sharing: "Then I just introduced slowly the idea that he wasn't going to be living with us any more. So we're going to have a new house and we're going to move somewhere else. But he's very close by and you are loved and you are safe."

Andrea looked back on an emotional exchange she had with her teenage daughter Amy following her second divorce.Reflecting on that time, she said: "Years later, many years later, Amy was a teenager. She mentioned something and I realised that the time was now to tell her a fuller version of events.

"So I told her the fuller version and she said to me something that... oh my gosh it choked me up at the time and still chokes me. She said 'oh my goodness mummy. You were like Mrs Incredible. You stretched over the top of the two of us. And it's like we were sitting on the floor playing and we didn't even notice the bullets were bouncing off you. And you just kept us safe'."

Andrea added: "And I said 'yep, that's what I was trying to do until you're ready to know and understand. And now you do. I'm here for you. But now I'm walking alongside you'."

She continued "I felt it was very important for me with both of my children that whatever the situation is that happened between me and your dad is between me and your dad. Your relationship is your relationship with you and your dad. And I have no right to try and poison that or discolour that."

Andrea is now married to businessman Nick Feeney after tying the knot in 2017. They met after being set up on a blind date by Loose Women makeup artist, Donna May Clitheroe.