Dame Kelly Holmes has publicly backed Loose Women co-star Nadia Sawalha after Nadia alleged she had been treated unlawfully by ITV over her “protected beliefs”.
Kelly’s message came after Nadia announced she was taking legal action against ITV, following several months away from Loose Women. Her last appearance on the programme was in April, and she claimed her attempts to resolve the dispute had failed.
ED previously contacted ITV for comment. As of this writing, we have had no response from the broadcaster.
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What has Nadia Sawalha alleged?
In an Instagram video, Nadia alleged that she had faced an “escalating campaign of smears, complaints [and] hostile media coverage”, alongside “targeted calls” for her removal from Loose Women.
She claimed ITV had taken her off the programme several times. She explained: “It’s all just a bit noisy out there for us.” Nadia further alleged that she was given no guarantee it would not happen again, with future appearances said to “depend on what was said”. She accused the broadcaster of “forever changing the goalposts”.
Nadia said it was “sad” that matters had reached this point. She added that she had “appealed to ITV’s hearts and minds, but to no avail”.
Dame Kelly Holmes supports Nadia
Responding to Nadia’s video, Kelly wrote: “This is just not right or just.
“I am so sorry Nadia no one can even begin to comprehend the ‘fight’ you must have been having behind the scenes. Thanks for sharing this I had no idea. With you.”
Nadia urges supporters to sign petition
Nadia also encouraged her followers to support a petition. She claimed people working in education, healthcare, retail and other sectors had faced similar consequences after speaking according to their conscience.
She said: “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. No one should be bullied out of their job for following their conscience and speaking out against brutal oppression.”
Nadia and her husband Mark Adderley previously received apologies, libel damages and legal costs after the Daily Mail and Metro were found to have falsely accused them of supporting terrorism or hatred of Jewish people.
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