Saira Khan says she 'tolerated' Loose Women co-stars in new interview

13 September 2021, 16:23 | Updated: 13 September 2021, 16:40

Former Loose Women star Saira Khan has said she 'tolerated' her former colleagues while working on the show.

Saira Khan has said she 'tolerated' her Loose Women co-stars during her six years on the show.

The former Apprentice star, 51, who was a regular panelist on the Loose Women between 2015 and January 2021, has opened up about her decision to leave the ITV daytime show.

Saira told the Mirror: "Firstly, I’d outgrown the programme. There were some women that I just thought, 'I’ve got to just tolerate you to do the job and in real life you wouldn’t be my friend'.

Saira was a regular Loose Women panelist until January 2021. Picture: Shutterstock

"They’d say the same about me. Plus, I shared a lot about myself on that show – my abuse, adoption, arranged marriage and a lot of relationship stuff. You don’t get a lot of thanks for that. My family hasn’t asked to be related to someone famous but I felt like I was putting them into a precarious situation."

Saira did say, however, that she's still close to some of her co-stars - namely Coleen Nolan, Ruth Langsford, Linda Robson and Christine Lampard.

Saira has opened up about her decision to leave Loose Women. Picture: Shutterstock

Saira Khan was a regular Loose Women panelist from 2015 until 2021. Picture: Alamy

Speaking about her relationship with those four, she said: "Out of everyone, they’re the people I’d invite round to my home and the ones I’ve got a relationship with."

When questioned on whether leaving was the right decision for her, she added: "Yes. When you turn up to a job where your heart’s not in it, you come home and you just feel s*** about yourself and about what you’ve said.

"The only thing you can do is make a change.It wasn’t easy walking away from a good job, wardrobe, friends and money, but when you’re there discussing a subject with your friends in a very innocent way, the amount of trolling you get online is horrendous. It just becomes toxic for women. It’s a show for women but I don’t feel like it empowered me."