Carol McGiffin has slammed Loose Women after leaving owing to a ‘unjust’ contract disagreement.
The broadcaster has been a regular on the Loose Women panel since 2000, but she was apparently ‘forced’ to leave after espousing Covid conspiracy claims.
Appearing on GB News to address her absence from Loose Women, she said: ‘Well put it this way, reading all the comments from the article at the weekend there are a lot of people who think the programme has gone very, very woke.’
She quipped that she no longer watches and added, ‘You simply don’t have to keep ramming this thing down people’s throats. It’s not only ITV; the BBC is possibly far worse.’
‘The trouble was, ITV were demanding, for the first time since I went back in 2018, that if I wanted to keep on doing the programme, I would have to sign a contract that was absolutely unreasonable and impractical for me, so I had to say ‘no thanks,’ Carol wrote in her weekly column for Best magazine.
She went on to say that she was ‘very angry about it,’ and that it was a decision she was “forced to make.”

‘No one in their right mind would have signed that contract,’ she continued. ‘And I can’t see a way back from it.’
Carol’s Loose Women co-stars were quick to express their support.
‘I really miss you and am so gutted,’ write Charlene White, while Branda Edwards agreed: ‘Carol, I always enjoy when you are on as we have such a laugh, but you of course must always do what is best for you!
‘I really hope I get to see you again love you lots lovely lady. Keep Smiling.’

In a statement to Metro.co.uk, an ITV spokeswoman stated, ‘ITV will not comment on or divulge specifics of particular contracts, however all ITV contracts conform with the appropriate employment and HMRC regulations.’
Changes to the off-payroll working rules (IR35) went into effect on April 6, 2021, according to HMRC (HM Revenue & Customs).
According to the government’s website, the “responsibility for determining whether the off-payroll working rules (IR35) apply has shifted to the organisation receiving an individual’s services.”
According to Metro.co.uk, this means that the burden for establishing whether a job is employed or self-employed for tax reasons now falls on all employers, with ITV revising its contractual policies to reflect the new rules.
It is thought that the broadcaster alerted everybody whose contract was at risk as a result, with evaluations done on a case-by-case basis and constantly monitored.
Carol has always been one of the more vocal Loose Women stars since her debut in 2000.
She left Loose Women in 2013 and returned in 2018.
Loose Women airs weekdays at 12.30pm on ITV.