Former CBBC Star Dani Harmer Diagnosed with Perimenopause at 36

Dani Harmer, best known for her iconic role as Tracy Beaker in the beloved CBBC series of the early 2000s, has opened up about her recent diagnosis of perimenopause at just 36 — shedding much-needed light on an issue that remains widely misunderstood and under-discussed, particularly among younger women.

Harmer rose to fame playing the fiery and loveable Tracy Beaker in the award-winning The Story of Tracy Beaker, based on the novel by Dame Jacqueline Wilson. The show, which explored the lives of children in care, captured the hearts of millions and ran from 2002 to 2005, with Harmer reprising the role across several spin-offs and reboots over the years.

Now, two decades after first stepping into the spotlight, Harmer is using her platform to raise awareness of a very different kind of challenge — perimenopause, the often invisible and unpredictable stage leading up to menopause.

In a candid TikTok video, the actress shared her recent struggles, revealing that it was a noticeable change in her hair — once a defining feature of her Tracy Beaker character — that first prompted her to seek help.

“I’m losing it. It’s thinning so badly you can see the bald patches coming in,” she told her followers, pulling her curls back on camera. “It’s really getting me down.”

But her hair was just one of many changes she’d been experiencing. Harmer explained that it was her husband, Simon, who encouraged her to investigate further, after noticing significant changes in her personality.

“My whole personality had pretty much changed,” she said. “I felt like I was being possessed by someone else. It was horrible – I was just getting deeper and deeper into a dark depression.”

She also described experiencing night sweats, brain fog, sleep disturbances, anxiety, and mood swings — all hallmark symptoms of perimenopause, though rarely spoken about in the mainstream, especially in women under 40.

Eventually, after pushing for answers, she received a diagnosis and has since started hormone replacement therapy (HRT), which she says has been a turning point in helping her manage the symptoms.

Harmer’s story is sadly familiar for many women who find themselves dismissed or misdiagnosed when presenting with early signs of perimenopause. The average age for menopause in the UK is 51, but perimenopausal symptoms can begin years — even a decade — earlier. Despite this, support, research, and public awareness continue to lag behind, leaving countless women to struggle in silence.

In opening up, Harmer not only shatters lingering taboos but also adds her voice to the growing movement demanding better education, visibility, and healthcare for women in midlife and beyond.

“There was just too much to ignore,” she admitted. “I’m so glad I got the help I needed — but I had to really fight for it.”

Harmer, who shares two young children with Simon — daughter Averie-Belle and son Leon — continues to juggle motherhood and a return to creative work. Most recently, she stepped behind the camera to direct an episode of The Dumping Ground, a CBBC spin-off from the original Beaker series.

“It felt like that was where I was meant to be,” she said of her experience directing.

Harmer’s honesty — and her visibility as a former child star now navigating the complexities of womanhood — is helping to redefine what perimenopause looks like. It’s not just hot flashes at 50. It’s brain fog at school drop-off. It’s unexpected hair loss. It’s a shift in personality so stark, even your partner notices. And it can happen much earlier than anyone tells you.