POLL: Is it time for Loose Women to be axed for good?
The ITV daytime show has been on the airwaves since 1999, but calls for it to be axed continue to mount up.
Loose Women returned to our screens just a few weeks ago, but already the ITV daytime show has becomed embroiled in scandal. On Friday (May 8), it was reported that panellist Nadia Sawalha was reportedly "dropped" from the lunchtime show over social media posts involving "anti-Semitic conspiracy theories." The 61-year-old broadcaster was noticeably absent from Monday morning's show (May 11), and reportedly won't appear on the show next week either.
She was last seen on the show at the end of April but usually makes an appearance on the programme once a week as a staple presenter since she joined the show back in 1999. According to the Daily Mail, the mum-of-two is being accused of sharing a series of "unhinged" conspiracy theories on social media.
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The outlet shared that a Loose Women souce has claimed that while ITV bosses "love Nadia", both parties are "having some space" before they discuss a return plan. Meanwhile, another souce claimed that the YouTube channel she hosts with her husband, Mark Adderley, who was suspended from the Green Party over alleged "anti-Semitic rants", contained "dangerous" posts.
Her unexpected exit from the show comes weeks after the programme returned to out screens following ITV's major cost-cutting changes. In January, ITV bosses annouced the talk show had been reduced to 30 weeks per year allongside Lorraine Kelly's self-titled show.
In addition to the schedule changes, the show has also moved to a smaller studio and removed the live studio audience, and it's fair to say not everyone is a fan of the show's new makeover. Speaking exclusively to Express.co.uk at the Royal Television Society Awards, host Colleen Nolan shared her heartache for the new changes.
She admitted: "I do miss the audience. We've kind of got used to it now, but the first couple of weeks were weird. They just can't be there anymore because [the new studio] is just too small; we can't fit them in. It's three shows in one that studio."
Meanwhile, former star Carol McGiffin believes the programme has become "too woke" and claims she got censored for having an opinion different to other guests. She insisted everyone had to "kind of agree with each other" and feels they "still do it now." Sherrie Hewson, who was on the show beween 2003 and 2016, had a similar feeling.
She told us that the show is now more "formulaic" and "subdued". So, do you think the show needs to be retired, or is there still life in this 27-year-old show? Vote in our poll and start a discussion in the comments section below.
