Loose Women star Charlene White addresses ‘difficult’ departure of two panelists

Jacob StolworthyMon, August 31, 2026 at 11:44 AM UTC

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'Loose Women' panelist Charlene White is remaining on the show (ITV)

Loose Women has lost two of its popular panelists – and while their co-star, Charlene White, has said the change is “difficult”, she also believes a shake-up is necessary.

This month, Nadia Sawalha revealed she had been dropped from the show, with Denise Welch announcing soon after that she was stepping away after 25 years.

The news arrived after budget cuts at ITV meant that the length of each episode was cut from one hour to 30 minutes, and the studio audience was axed, leaving a level of uncertainty behind the scenes.

ITN newsreader White, who has been on the series since 2021, is keeping positive despite the departure of Sawalha and Welch, telling BANG Showbiz: “I think if you’re going to have a debate programme, which it is, then it’s important to mix it up. It’s important to have newer voices come in, because that’s what keeps it fresh, that’s what keeps it current, that’s what keeps it interesting.”

It’s been reported byThe Mirrorthat singer Anastacia and entrepreneur Emma Grede have been lined up as new additions to the series, which also features Coleen Nolan, Judi Love, Brenda Edwards and GK Barry.

“I think there are many other programmes that could learn a lesson from Loose Women because when you continue to have the same people doing the same things all the time, then programmes get stale,” White continued. There’s one thing we can say about Loose Women – it ain’t a stale programme.”

White said that, while it’s “been really difficult” to see her colleagues get “made redundant”, she finds it “wonderful” to make the show work in the midst of challenges.

“It doesn’t matter what you throw at Loose Women, we will make it work. We get to still be with each other, we get to still share stories, we get to make people laugh at lunchtime, we can have a few tears, but when we have those tears, we still have each other for support, and I think that’s important, and I think that’s an important thing for people to see. We don’t agree all the time, but we do have each other’s backs all the time.”

Welch, who has enjoyed a career renaissance in recent years, said that her exit is due to the opportunities she’s receiving elsewhere. On Instagram, the actor said that Loose Women had “been part of mine and my family’s life for well nearly a quarter of a century”, but was quitting she she could embrace a “new chapter” in her life.

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Denise Welch has quit 'Loose Women' after 25 years (ITV)

Meanwhile, Sawalha has threatened legal action against ITV after claiming she’s been removed from Loose Women due to her vocal support for Palestine.

The presenter and former EastEnders star, 61, alleged that she was temporarily axed from the daytime show in July 2026 and accused ITV of “forever changing the goalposts” in relation to her return.

She claimed the channel’s decision arose from “escalating campaign of smears, complaints, hostile media coverage and targeted calls to have me removed” from the series.

In a video shared on Instagram, Sawalha said: “I want to say how sad I am that it’s got to this. Believe me, I have appealed to ITV’s hearts and minds, but to no avail.

“After I began speaking publicly in support of Palestine in December 2023, I became the target of an escalating campaign of smears, complaints, hostile media coverage and targeted calls to have me removed from Loose Women.”

She said that, after her initial removal, ITV “couldn’t guarantee they wouldn’t take me off again, as it would depend on what was said, even though I’m hired for being an opinionated woman on a discussion show and I’ve never brought up or spoken about Palestine directly on the show”.

'Loose Women' star Nadia Sawalha has claimed she was dropped from ITV series (YouTube @sawalhaadderleys)

She called it “the tip of the iceberg of what’s been happening”.

Alongside the lawsuit, Sawalha has launched a petition demanding a public apology from ITV and her reinstatement. The Independent has contacted ITV for comment.

In May 2026, former panelist Andrea McLean revealed that she applied for a job in Starbucks after leaving the show in 2020 to launch a lifestyle brand that she said “didn’t work”, leaving her with little income.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”