"Daytime Delight: Gabby Logan Shares How Empty Nesting Sparks Passion with Kenny!"

WHEN Match of the Day’s Gabby Logan started going through the perimenopause in her mid 40s, her sex drive decided to take an extended holiday.

“My libido was definitely affected by the and perimenopause,” she tells us.

Gabby Logan has opened up about keeping the sparks flying with husband Kenny Logan Taking Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) saw Gabby’s libido returning after being affected by the menopause and perimenopause

“I found I didn’t want to have as much, and it felt like something I was going to have to have even if I didn’t really want to.

“It was almost like, ‘Is this going to become a duty?’

“So many women say this and I didn’t want to become one of them. I wanted to keep enjoying having sex, not just doing it because it was part of my contract.

“Orgasms are good for us – releasing endorphins to boost your mood, and oxytoxin, the hug hormone, which is good for bonding and building intimacy and connection outside the bedroom.

“I’d had a very healthy relationship with Kenny.

“I loved him and fancied him as much as ever, and wasn’t able to understand why I no longer wanted to have sex as much as I had before.”

On recommendation from fellow presenter Mariella Frostrup whom Gabby (now 52) had chatted to her on podcast ‘The Mid-Point’, she went to see a doctor specialising in HRT.

“The doctor told me that my female hormones were on the floor – as were the levels of testosterone in my body, adding that I would probably only have a few more periods.

“I was surprised to hear this but not particularly emotional about it. I just wanted to feel like me again.

“So, I was prescribed Hormone replacement therapy (HRT).

“My lack of libido wasn’t my only motivation to take HRT but it certainly was very important.

“When I understood that I could get my former sex drive back, it was an enormous relief. Taking HRT saw my libido returning.

“I started with a very small dose of oestrogen and testosterone gels, and progesterone in tablet form.

“I noticed massive changes within a few weeks. It was a lovely feeling like myself again. My libido came back within about a week.

“I felt definitely a massive improvement there and that was important to me and also to Kenny.

“Once I was on HRT and my libido returned, our sex life was back on track – even to the extent of having daytime sex. There are plus points to becoming empty nesters!

“Our kids (20-year-old twins Lois and Reuben) will kill me if I say anymore!”

Gabby opened up about getting her former sex drive back

KENNY’S HEALTH BATTLE

The couple’s happy, healthy sex life took another hit a few years later, however, when in 2022, Kenny was diagnosed with and had his prostate gland removed.

“When that happens, erectile function can be massively affected and might not come back,” Gabby explains.

“Kenny was very lucky and eventually it did, but it took a while.

“Not knowing what was going to happen and how you could get used to a life that was going to be different was very challenging.

“I was thinking, what if this is forever?

So many women say this and I didn’t want to become one of them. I wanted to keep enjoying having sex, not just doing it because it was part of my marriage contract

Gabby Logan

“Then you feel, am I selfish for thinking that? Because obviously you put the life of the person you love way above your own personal pleasure.

“Priority number one was Kenny being healthy and well, but actually being healthy and well involves all parts of your relationship.

“In life there’s always something that can throw you off course and if you haven’t built the foundations of the relationship, I think it can cause irreparable damage.

“The communication in your marriage will be tested and if you haven’t got that sorted it won’t be an easy ride. Your solidity and your teamwork are going to be tested.”

Kenny was diagnosed with prostate cancer and had his prostate gland removed

Keeping intimacy alive in a long marriage is no mean feat. Does Gabby have any tips?

“I think problems creep into a long marriage when one partner wants sex more than the other,” she says.

“But there’s no ‘one size fits all’ when it comes to sex in a long relationship.

“Every couple is different and I think people get worried when they read about how often they should be making love with their partners.

“There’s no template and no one knows what goes on behind closed doors. No one should judge. It’s what makes both partners happy.

“Reaching a compromise. For some couples sex is very important, for others not so much. It is very important to Kenny and I but not the most important thing.

“We’ve been married for 24 years so of course other things come into play.”

KEEPING THE SPARK ALIVE

Gabby and Kenny go on romantic dinners to keep the spark alive The couple, seen at Wimbledon last year, have been married for 24 years

Absolutely but there’s no doubt that date nights, shared activities outside the bedroom and just having a laugh together help maintain a strong bond – and therefore that essential spark. Gabby agrees.

“We like surprising each other – I’ll buy tickets, for instance. We go out for romantic dinners – although we don’t specifically call these evenings ‘date nights’.

“We love playing sport together – , or going for a walk.

“We love travelling together. This past , for example, when our son Reuben (a professional rugby player) was playing for Scotland in the World Cup in Italy, Kenny and I went to many of the matches but we also took time to explore on our own.

“We visited Verona and travelled around Lombardy.

Every couple is different and I think people get worried when they read about how often they should be making love with their partners

Gabby Logan

“We had such a lovely time – just the two of us. It was really very special.

“I’m lucky in that Kenny is very tactile and loving – he’s someone who needs that close contact.

“He says things like, ‘I haven’t had my hug, today!’ and he’ll envelop me in a massive bear hug.

“He also notices things and is very thoughtful.

“It was our wedding anniversary recently and while we don’t usually do anniversary presents, he bought me the loveliest purse as a surprise.

Rugby player Kenny and Sports television presenter Gabby tied the knot in 2001 Gabby shares two children, 20-year-old twins Lois and Reuben, with husband Kenny

“He’d heard me say that I needed a new one.

“Little things like that are so important.

“Our respective jobs mean that we do spend time apart rather than live in each other’s pockets but this means that we can’t wait to see each other when we’re together again.

“We always have lots to talk about – the children, of course, but also our friends, our work, politics, what’s happening in the world . . . everything really.

For some couples sex is very important, for others not so much. It is very important to Kenny and I but not the most important thing

Gabby Logan

“We also get excited about taking on new projects together.

“We’re having a new kitchen put in at the moment and while it’s a bit chaotic, we were only saying the other day that it gives us a buzz and we find it energizing.

“The aim is that at some point, we build our own house from scratch – I’ve always wanted to do that.

“We’re a team – we don’t have set roles.”

FEELING FIT

Gabby has thrown herself into keeping fit and healthy

Gabby looks in tip-top condition right now and she says she feels it, too.

Exercise has always been a huge part of her life and continues to be so.

This, she says, is even more important to her as a menopausal woman.

“Firstly, you’ve got to be moving and exercising your body. The menopause affects our physical as well as our mental wellbeing.

“Things like heart health and the threat of osteoporosis? Exercise can help guard against both.

“Simple walking and cycling are great things to do, and I’ve discovered cold water swimming. I’m also a big fan of Pilates while weight training is also great for bone-health.”

AMBASSADOR ROLE

Gabby has enjoyed doing some big bike rides and half marathons over the past few years

Speaking of which, Gabby – an ambassador for Menopace, the UK’s Number 1 Menopause Supplement Brand – has teamed up with strength training expert Annie Murray to challenge how we think about strength in midlife and to show what women should be aiming for when it comes to maintaining muscle, bone health and vitality.

The Menopace Strength Test is a simple set of strength and fitness benchmarks designed to test the strength of women approaching their 50s and beyond.

“While I’ve enjoyed doing some big bike rides and half marathons over the past few years, I don’t always need a huge cardio challenge on the horizon.

“It’s more important to me to maintain my strength and go to the gym regularly.

“Having a strong, functional body is vital to me.

“Healthwise, I feel very on top of things right now – and that’s a combination of eating well, regularly exercising which incorporates strength training, the right dosage of HRT and taking a great supplement like Menopace.”