Saira quits
After five years on the Loose Women sofa, Saira Khan is the latest lady to turn her back on the panel. But why?
Presenter Saira Khan recently made the shock announcement that she was quitting the Loose Women sofa.
The business woman-turned-presenter, who found fame on The Apprentice in 2005, said she wants a ‘clean break’ from the talk show, following in the footsteps of fellow ‘Loosie’ Andrea McLean, who announced her departure late last year.
‘There is no animosity, it’s just the decision I’ve come to. My contract is up…’ she announced matter-of-factly.
Saira, 50, went on to explain how, as the first Asian presenter, she felt like a pioneer, but now feels she has achieved her aim of blazing a trail for others to follow.
‘I joined Loose Women to make that panel representative,’ she said in a newspaper interview.
‘I feel like I’ve done my duty there. We’ve got three other women of colour on the panel and I feel like I’m leaving it in a really healthy position.’
In fact, Saira added in an Instagram post, ‘I’d love my @loosewomen seat to be given to either a gay, transgender or non-binary person – that will help the show to be more reflective of the world.’
Saira said she plans to concentrate on other TV projects, business ideas and being a wife to husband Steve Hyde, and mum to their two kids Zachariah, 12, and Amara, nine.
She insists that there is no ‘ bitterness’ around her departure – but she may have raised eyebrows with the comment: ‘I actually think there are other women on the show who have had their time and they need to review and refresh.’
She refused to name names, continuing, ‘I don’t mean anyone in particular. To keep that show fresh and relevant you have to look around and you know when your time is up. I don’t ever feel I want to be clinging on to a job because I’m desperate.’
‘I’d love my seat to be given to a gay, transgender or non-binary person to be reflective of the world’