Long-serving Loose Women presenter Coleen Nolan has opened up about how she feels the show has become less “free” over the years.
Coleen joined the ITV daytime show more than 20 years ago, and in that time has become one of its staple panellists.
In a new interview with the podcast Secure The Insecure, the former Celebrity Big Brother winner reflected on how Loose Women has had to adapt over the years as the “world has changed”.
“It was free,” Coleen recalled of her early days on Loose Women. “It’s not free now. It’s a very different show, because the world has changed – and I have to say [it’s changed] for the better in a lot of respects. You cannot get away with certain things now.
“However, it was a much easier show to do in those days.”
She continued: “Everything we discuss in the [pre-show] meetings, all our opinions and all of that – they all have to go up to legal to be looked over, to make sure that we’re hopefully not going to offend.
“You very much self-edit on that show now, and that’s because of social media as well.”
Coleen added that she often finds herself holding back her “genuine” opinions due to concerns about a backlash, which she said is a “shame”.
“I would like to think we can all have opinions and that doesn’t warrant somebody being nasty to you just because they don’t agree,” Coleen added, noting: “But that’s the world we live in now.”
During her time on Loose Women, Coleen has come under fire on several occasions.
Back in 2007, she sparked controversy when she claimed she was not in favour of same-sex couples adopting children, and eight years later made headlines when she defended a bakery that had been found guilty of discrimination for refusing to make a cake with a message in support of marriage equality.
“What about if somebody walked in and said I want a cake and I want the whole Islamic State on it and how I support it and how I support them killing our people?” Coleen questioned. “Because it’s a business, do they have to make it?”
However, her biggest Loose Women controversy came in 2018, when she clashed with her former Celebrity Big Brother housemate Kim Woodburn during a segment that was intended for them to put their differences behind them.
The incident sparked thousands of complaints to Ofcom, with Coleen taking an extended break from Loose Women at the time due to a barrage of online abuse.
Listen to her full interview on Secure The Insecure. Loose Women airs weekdays at 12.30pm on ITV.