Nadia Sawalha has announced she is taking legal action against ITV, alleging she was treated unlawfully due to her ‘protected beliefs’ after being sidelined from Loose Women. The broadcaster and actress, 61, who first appeared on the show in 1999 and returned as a regular in 2013, has not featured since April this year.
Legal Action Announced
In an Instagram video posted on August 6, 2026, Sawalha revealed that her legal team at the European Legal Support Centre (ELSC) had formally written to ITV, claiming discrimination. She stated: ‘My legal team at ELSC has today written to ITV alleging that I have been treated unlawfully due to my protected beliefs.’
Sawalha claimed that after she began speaking publicly in support of Palestine in December 2023, she ‘became the target of an escalating campaign of smears, complaints, hostile media coverage and targeted calls to have me removed from Loose Women’. She added that ITV had taken her ‘on and off Loose Women a number of times’, with the explanation often being ‘it’s all a bit noisy out there for us’.
Wider Implications
She emphasized that she is not alone, citing teachers, doctors, nurses, charity workers, supermarket staff, and students who have faced similar repercussions for speaking out. ‘Well enough is enough. We need to send a clear message to ITV and other groups and corporations that we won’t be scared into silence,’ she said.
Alongside the legal action, Sawalha shared a petition calling on ITV to publicly apologize and reinstate her if she wishes to return. The petition states: ‘Instead of standing by Nadia, ITV has continued to keep her off Loose Women, with no indication of when, or if, she will return.’ It also asserts that ‘no one should face bullying at work for being anti-genocide’.
Reactions and Next Steps
Metro has contacted ITV for comment, but no response has been reported yet. This development follows a period of absence for Sawalha, who has been a familiar face on the show for over two decades. The outcome of the legal action could set a precedent for how broadcasters handle employees’ political expressions.
