ITV's Coleen Nolan has delivered a brutally honest assessment of her time on Loose Women, confessing she once wished a fellow panellist would fall down the stairs. The 60-year-old, who has been a fixture on the daytime talk show for over two decades, made the startling admission during a recent podcast appearance.
The 'Cocky' Co-Star Nolan Clashed With
Speaking on the Not My Bagg podcast, Nolan reflected on guests she had not warmed to during her long tenure. While she chose not to name the individual, she recounted a specific interaction that left her feeling antagonistic. "I remember this one girl that came on and I said to her, ‘How are you feeling’ and she went ‘Yeah, fine’," Nolan explained.
When Nolan asked if she was nervous, the guest simply replied, "No." The veteran panellist's internal reaction was far from charitable. "I thought, ‘Ah I hope you trip down the stairs'," she confessed, before joking about her own harsh sentiment: "That's awful ain't it."
Standing by her initial impression, Nolan added, "I just thought, ‘That's a bit cocky love, that's a bit cocky, I want you to trip or fall off your stool or something'." She was quick to clarify that these feelings were reserved for certain past guests and not the show's current lineup.
No Bad Blood With Current Panel
Despite the show's reputation for fiery on-screen debates, Nolan insists there is genuine camaraderie behind the scenes among the current regulars. The panel, which includes Janet Street Porter, Ruth Langsford, Jane Moore, Brenda Edwards, Kaye Adams and GK Barry, is known for its diverse and often clashing opinions.
"If you read the magazine headlines it sounds like we hate each other," Nolan laughed. "But when you've known the women for as long as we've all known each other, no, that's what the show is about."
She described Street Porter as "one of her best friends," highlighting that their contrasting viewpoints are essential for the programme's dynamic. "There's no point us being on there for an hour a day and agreeing on everything because that's boring," Nolan stated.
Addressing 'Toxic' Workplace Claims
Nolan's comments come after her co-star Denise Welch previously addressed claims that the Loose Women set was a "toxic" environment. Speaking on This Morning last year, Welch firmly denied the allegations.
"It's so ridiculous! I'm 67 this year. If you think I would voluntarily come into a job with a toxic environment, I wouldn't!" Welch declared. "We have never had a row in all the years that we've worked! Me and Carol McGiffin used to have some humdingers on there but we never talked about when we got off stage."
Nolan echoed this sentiment, acknowledging that while rows do happen, they are a professional necessity. "We do have some rows, it was more difficult when we had sort of newish people initially coming in when you don't know them that well," she explained. The key, she noted, is the underlying respect and long-standing relationships between the core panel members.
Loose Women continues to air weekdays at 12.30pm on ITV and ITVX.
