Former estate agent Sarah Stenton (pictured) has begun a new career in stand-up comedy based on her experiences with menopause after selling her agency Stenton Property earlier this year.

The 53-year-old first experienced menopause symptoms five years ago but managed to see the “funny side of it” and, as a result, set up a Facebook group, Middle Age Madness, which has gathered more than 50,000 followers.

This gave her the confidence to sell her agency and put together a stand-up show which the mother of two has since taken across the UK.

She tells the Midlands paper, Express & Star: “It has gone in a direction I did not expect. You’ll be surprised just how much fun you can have with the menopause.

Making a living out of comedy has been a dream come true.”

“When I gave a coffee morning talk about it in Bridgnorth at the start of the year, I realised that actually this would be much better as an evening event with a glass in your hand.

“So I did a couple of small shows in Broseley and Much Wenlock, and when I heard people laugh I was hooked.

“Most of the audience do tend to be ladies of a certain age but I have been all over – Edinburgh, Glasgow, Newcastle, Salisbury but I am hoping to do some local shows soon in Shropshire.”

She added: “I loved being an estate agent but now I am making a living out of comedy it has been a dream come true.”

Image credit: BBC News