Loose Women bosses have addressed speculation surrounding long-serving panellist Carol McGiffin’s apparent departure from the show.
Carol made headlines last week when she told Best magazine she felt she “had to step away from” the panel due to an apparent contract issue, having last appeared on the ITV daytime show two months ago.
“It was causing me too much stress, which was mostly down to a difficult contract issue I’d been challenging since January,” she claimed.
“The problem was, ITV were insisting, for the first time since I went back in 2018, that if I wanted to carry on doing the show, I would have to sign a contract that was totally unjust and unworkable for me, so I had to say ‘no thanks’.
“I feel quite upset about it, if I’m honest, because although it is my decision, I felt like it was one I was being forced to make. No one in their right mind would have signed that contract. And I can’t see a way back from it.”
Since then, the Daily Mail reported that Carol was “forced to quit” after sharing “conspiracy” theories about Covid during an appearance on TNT Radio.
Responding to these rumours, an ITV spokesperson told HuffPost UK: “ITV will not comment on speculation around individual contracts.
“We understand that Carol has decided to leave Loose Women and we wish her well in any future projects.”
Meanwhile, an ITV source also said: “Any theories around Covid discussed by Carol on a platform outside of ITV would be her personal opinions, have not been broadcast as part of Loose Women and do not represent the views of ITV.
“Here at ITV we encourage free speech, but equally are fully committed to responsible broadcasting and adhering to the Ofcom code.”
Carol first joined Loose Women in 2003, appearing consistently for a decade before leaving in 2013, and eventually returning five years later.
Since her Loose Women comeback, Carol has been met with a backlash on numerous occasions, most notably after remarks she made in support of former US president Donald Trump and comments about the Capitol insurrection in January 2021.