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Halle Berry says she 'plummeted into hell' after having sex with boyfriend

Oscar-winning actress Halle Berry has opened up about her menopause symptoms including painful sex that felt like 'razor blades' after meeting new boyfriend Van Hunt

[CANNES, FRANCE - MAY 24: Halle Berry attends the closing ceremony red carpet at the 78th annual Cannes Film Festival at Palais des Festivals on May 24, 2025 in Cannes, France.(Photo by JB Lacroix/FilmMagic)]

Halle's problem was initially misdiagnosed as herpes(Image: JB Lacroix, FilmMagicvia Getty Images)

Academy Award-winning star Halle Berry has battled numerous challenges throughout her life, from enduring an abusive childhood to facing teenage bullies. Now she's confronting a fresh obstacle the looming threat of ageism as she nears her 60th birthday.

In a candid new interview, she reveals: "I don't know how old these male actors are because their age doesn't precede their name. With us, it always does. Soon it will be '60-year-old Halle Berry'."

Another hurdle Halle is grappling with is the inevitable ordeal of menopause. The former Bond girl and X-Men actress explains that following three failed marriages, she had accepted the prospect of remaining single permanently.

Then, unexpectedly, Halle discovered love again. Meeting during the Covid-19 lockdown, she and musician Van Hunt didn't encounter each other face-to-face for six months.

However, almost immediately after they did, she realised something was terribly wrong. In a summit last month she claimed: "Sex started to feel like I had razor blades in my vagina."

[Halle Berry]

Halle met new partner Van Hunt in 2020(Image: GETTY)

While the excruciating symptom was initially wrongly diagnosed as herpes, Halle eventually understood that she was experiencing the effects of menopause. She told The Times: "That was God's joke. That was the universe. I was like, 'Universe, you bring me this man I've been asking for, and now you plummet me into hell'."

Halle was familiar with menopause as a concept, but she somehow believed it wouldn't impact her. She added: "I thought I was going to skip it. That's how ignorant I was."

When she began experiencing typical menopause symptoms such as night sweats, irritability and brain fog, she attributed it to anything but menopause.

[NEW YORK, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 03: Halle Berry speaks onstage during The New York Times DealBook Summit 2025 at Jazz at Lincoln Center on December 03, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by David Dee Delgado/Getty Images for The New York Times)]

Halle launching her menopause initiative during The New York Times DealBook Summit(Image: David Dee Delgado, Getty Images for The New York Times)

However, Halle now says she's taking charge of the condition and is committed to raising awareness.

"There are 100 symptoms of menopause; we all go through it differently," she explains. The average age for women in the US to reach menopause is 51.

But this can range from anywhere between 45 to 55, meaning that initial symptoms can start to appear for some women in their late thirties.

Halle has revamped her women's wellness business, Respin Health, to concentrate on "redefining menopause and longevity," and has been vocal about the importance of taking women's health seriously. Respin collaborates with companies like Joylux to provide solutions for issues such as vaginal dryness.

[Halle Berry]

Halle is one of very few actresses to have won both and Oscar and a Razzie(Image: Daily Record)

Respin's website also offers red light therapy treatments, online group discussions with other women facing the same challenges, and one-to-one consultations with menopause specialists.

Halle told Forbes: "We are trying to be your one-stop shop for all things menopause, because what I've learned on this journey is that every woman 'menopauses' in a different way."

The award-winning actress added: "This is my greatest act. And I couldn't have imagined that this would be my greatest act because I think as women, we've been afraid to age."

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