Carol McGiffin has claimed she was repeatedly told off by Loose Women bosses and ordered to remove social media posts after sharing her opinions.
The former panellist, 66, made the allegations during an appearance on Best UK’s Suddenly Single podcast.
Carol criticised those in charge, arguing that they were following rules set by people higher up and leaving little room for alternative opinions.
“You want to hire people with opinions, let them have opinions. It’s impossible now,” she said.
Loose Women star Carol McGiffin claims she was told to delete social media posts
Carol alleged that her views had upset people in positions of authority, although she did not name anyone specifically.
“I was told off so many times. I was told to remove things from social media that I’d expressed an opinion on because it upsets the powers that be,” she said.
“Whether those powers that be are the people at the top of the TV tree or they’re somewhere else, and I suspect they’re somewhere else, they don’t like it. They don’t like people having those other opinions. So you get basically sanitised.”
Her comments come as ITV continues to make changes to its daytime programming, with several departures from the Loose Women panel also making headlines.
Carol left the show in 2023 following a disagreement over her contract. In an article for Best magazine that year, she revealed that she had been challenging an issue with the terms since January.
She claimed ITV’s proposed contract was unfair and impractical, meaning she could not agree to stay. Carol also said the situation had become stressful and was taking a toll on her health.
Asked about her plans during Suddenly Single, she made her position clear, saying: “I don’t want to be on TV anymore.”
However, Carol was keen to distinguish her departure from that of Denise Welch.
Denise recently stepped down after almost 25 years on Loose Women, while original panellist Nadia Sawalha has also reportedly been dropped from the panel.
Carol said she did not think Denise had fallen out with the show’s bosses, unlike herself. She praised Denise’s acting career and suggested her work away from the programme had influenced her decision to leave.
Loose Women and Lorraine hit by ITV daytime cuts
ITV announced a major shake-up of its daytime schedule in May 2025, with more than 220 job losses reported.
As part of the changes, Loose Women lost its studio audience and was reduced to a shorter annual run.
Lorraine was also affected, with the programme’s running time cut by 30 minutes and its schedule reduced to 30 weeks a year.
Under the new arrangements, Lorraine Kelly presents the show five days a week during those 30 weeks.
Good Morning Britain fills the 9am to 10am slot for the remaining 22 weeks.
ITV also confirmed that ITN would take over production of Good Morning Britain from ITV Studios.
Carol believes the changes reflect a wider problem with mainstream television, criticising what she sees as a lack of individuality and differing opinions.
“Everything is so standard. Everyone’s got to have the same opinion. And it is boring. And that’s why it’s dying,” she said.
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