Nadia Sawalha, a long-serving panellist on ITV’s Loose Women, has initiated legal proceedings against the broadcaster through the European Legal Support Center. The organization representing her submitted a pre-action letter alleging that ITV engaged in direct and indirect discrimination, along with harassment, based on her protected philosophical beliefs.
Sawalha stated that her removal from the programme stemmed from speaking publicly in support of Palestine beginning in December 2023. According to her account, ITV repeatedly cycled her on and off the show’s lineup, with management citing that “the reason for [my removal] was, and I quote, ‘It’s all a bit noisy out there for us’.” She emphasized that despite her public advocacy on the issue, she has not discussed Palestine directly during her appearances on the daytime discussion show.
A group of Jewish entertainment industry executives submitted a dossier to ITV urging the network not to reinstate Sawalha, contending her statements constituted “repeated examples of conspiratorial rhetoric, inflammatory commentary, disinformation, and antisemitic discourse.” Sawalha has denied antisemitism allegations. She noted that two newspapers previously accused her and her husband of antisemitism and supporting terrorism but subsequently issued apologies and paid damages to the couple.
The legal action claims ITV violated the Equality Act 2010 by discriminating against her based on anti-Zionist beliefs. Sawalha has been a fixture on Loose Women since 2013, following an earlier tenure on the panel between 1999 and 2002. Her television career also includes roles in EastEnders, Casualty, and The Bill, as well as a Celebrity MasterChef victory. ITV declined to comment when approached by BBC News regarding the matter.
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