Sick of being hired because I’m black

Ex-Loose Woman Jamelia accuses TV chiefs of stereotyping

Dumped Loose Women panellist Jamelia has accused TV bosses of offering jobs based on the colour of her skin. The former Strictly star said: “I’m sick of being chosen to do things because I’m black.

“I want to be chosen because I’m great. Everyone else gets to see themselves represented in every single manifestation. For us, it’s just the silly stereotypes – either the clown or the gangsta.”

Loose Women dropped the pop singer after three years following comments she made about plus-sized women.

She says she was not sacked from the ITV show – despite her contract not being renewed last August.

But following a barrage of death threats on social media, Jamelia described her stint on the show as a “baptism of fire”.

Calling for a change in attitude towards black women, Jamelia, 36, said of her stint: “It just gave me clarity that something has to be done.

“As much as I enjoyed my time, the best I got was an education about how we’re perceived and how we’re treated and how when I say something it’s a different thing to every other person on the panel saying it.”

The MOBO award-winner said bosses had hired her to offer a different take on things.

But she told Pride magazine: “It became clear they weren’t interested in my perspective. It was really interesting to see the reactions and the things people said and the way people treated me and how blatant it all was.”

Jamelia wants a better deal for the sake of her daughters, aged 11 and 16. She added: “I’m not okay with my daughters going into a world where they’re told they’re not good enough or not worthy of the same as everyone else.”