Naomi Watts feared Billy Crudup would end their relationship when he found out she had gone through the menopause.

The Mulholland Drive star, 58, started suffering symptoms when she was in her mid-30s and has now revealed she became convinced Billy - who she started dating in 2017 - would no longer want to be with her after she told him her secret.

Speaking at the Zurich Film Festival in Switzerland, she revealed she was in tears during her first conversation with Billy about the menopause. She explained: "I was crying in the bathroom, trying to scratch off my oestrogen patch. I told him what was going on, so nervous, and I thought: 'He's not gonna want to be with me anymore!'

"He said: 'Hold on. It's great that you are taking care of yourself. Why are you ashamed?' It was so sweet … And sexy. I felt safer than I ever felt."

Naomi - who went on to marry Billy in 2023 - said of the experience: "Menopause became a huge topic of conversation, because I went through it early on in my life and had no clue what was happening with my body.

"Once I talked about it with my partner, who is now my husband, and he was supportive, I went: 'How about I just own the story?' I'm in on the joke, although it's not actually a joke. Why do we just suffer, instead of getting some normalcy? Just own it ...

"Men have to be curious and compassionate. And our job, ladies, is to share the story."

Naomi went on to found her own company called Stripes Beauty, which aims to help women navigating perimenopause and menopause.

The King Kong star previously revealed she hopes her brand will remind women to "hold [their] heads high" regardless of their age.

She told PEOPLE: "Our minds, our experience, our sense of self, all of these things cumulatively add up to a bolder, wiser version of yourself, which makes you hotter than ever.

"And there's a play on words of course, because yes, we are fanning ourselves as we go into hot flashes. But it's also a time we should feel good about ourselves, hold our heads high and not fear and dread menopause like we have been taught by society and previous generations."