Saira Khan has opened up about her time on Loose Women and the real reason she decided to quit the ITV chat show after five years on the panel back in 2020

Saira Khan, the former Loose Women panellist, has opened up about her time on the show, why she decided to leave, and the friendships she maintains post-exit in a candid chat. In an exclusive with Woman’s Own magazine, the one-time Apprentice star who shot to fame as the runner-up in the inaugural 2005 series reflected on her stint from 2015 to 2020 on the panel of the hit daytime TV show.

She explained her departure from Loose Women, saying: “It was more about me growing up and saying, ‘Look, this is what I like, and this is what I don’t like,’ and some of the things that go on, I was just not comfortable with it, and I think you have to be honest with it.”

“It doesn’t mean you’re falling out, it just means it’s not enough for me.”

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Khan also dished on her current ties with her ex-co-stars. “I recently went out with Ruth [Langsford] to go and see Coleen [Nolan] on her solo tour in Blackpool,” she revealed.

“I keep in touch with Andrea [McLean] and Denise [Welch]. I know people think I fell out with them all, but it wasn’t about the girls, it was more about me to be honest with you.”, reports OK!.

Post-Loose Women, Saira took on the gruelling SAS: Who Dares Wins, joining celebs like Kerry Katona, James Cracknell, Alexandra Burke, and Wes Nelson. She’s also been seen on the Jeremy Vine on 5 morning show, which she admits to preferring over her Loose Women gig.

“I wouldn’t go back to Loose Women I’ve done that and I think I’ve come out of it realising I want to move forward, and I want to do things that I really enjoy,” she shared. “Also, Jeremy Vine gives me space to talk about politics as well as just talking about my private life and who I am. I think people can get a bit bored of that, and the same subjects.

“I also like the diversity of it, and that it’s not just all females there’s men and women, and I quite like that. It’s a bit more real life, and you can have a bit more laughter.”

When she joined Jeremy’s show earlier this year, she told The Mirror : “After taking a few years off the telly, it was nice to be back and I didn’t realise how much I missed it. It was Jeremy [Vine] who persuaded me to come back.”

She added: “I think it’s good to have a break and I feel more confident now about who I am and what I want to say.”