Nadia Sawalha turned down ‘Loose Women’ three times before agreeing to be a panellist.
The 54-year-old actress was approached several times to join the daytime show when it launched in 1999 but couldn’t see herself getting along with the other presenters, Jane Moore and Kaye Adams so repeatedly said no, but now she’s thankful she changed her mind.
Nadia – who rejoined the show in 2013 after more than 10 years away – admitted: "I turned down the job three times. I thought, I’m not going to get on with Jane and Kaye at all, because I’d just come out of ‘EastEnders’ and had led a very actressy life.
"I’d never done anything where I had to be myself before. I was very nervous, I was a party girl, I was hungover a lot and my life was a bit of a mess. I was messy in my mind. But even when I was on the panel with the clever birds and I felt insecure, I still felt it was the right place for me to be. ‘Loose Women’ has shaped who I am."
Jane agreed: "You were very much an actress and we were very much journalists".
And the stars admitted they are pleased the show has forced them to make some unlikely friendships.
Coleen Nolan said in a joint interview with OK! magazine: "There isn’t another show like it and it’s great that we all come from different backgrounds. I mean, who would’ve thought I’d become such great friends with Janet Street-Porter?!
"Without ‘Loose Women’, our paths probably would never have crossed."
When it comes to choosing new faces to join them on the panel, the presenters "instinctively know" who would fit in.
Kaye said: ""It’s something you just instinctively know. When Coleen originally appeared as a guest, we all came off after the interview and just looked at each other and said: ‘She’d be a great Loose Woman.’ "
Coleen added: "You’ve got to be willing to be open, the public expect that now."
Nadia Sawalha repeatedly rejected Loose Women
