Nadia Sawalha of Loose Women has spoken out about a problematic previous co-star who left her enraged and threatening to leave the production.
After beginning her career in theatre, the 58-year-old rose to popularity as Annie Palmer in the BBC’s long-running series EastEnders.
Nadia has also appeared in Benidorm, Station Jim, Casualty, and The Bill, while her younger sister Julia Sawalha, 54, is best known for her role as Saffy in Absolutely Fabulous.
The TV personality went on to participate as a presenter on Celebrity Driving School and Junior MasterChef, as well as a contestant on reality shows such as Celebrity Big Brother and The Celebrity Circle.
Nadia appeared on Loose Women on Thursday, alongside Carol McGiffin, Charlene White, and Judi Love, and discussed a terrible experience with an actor during a theatre performance.
Describing her co-star as ‘rude, bullying to people and horrible’, Nadia explained: ‘Everyone was putting up with her and nobody was saying anything and it was just one of those because she was a bit more famous than everyone – so you’re not supposed to say anything to them.
‘So anyway, so we were in rehearsals one day and she just said something so rude to somebody else and I jumped up and for some reason, I took my jumper off,’ Nadia continued, as the audience and panel burst into laughter.
Detailing the chaos, the host added: ‘I stormed off down the corridor, I was trying to get my jumper off, and the director is running after me, and he was lovely, the director was lovely.’
Nadia then went into her dressing room and began packing everything into her bag, saying she’d had enough and ‘can’t do it anymore.’
‘I stormed off down the alleyway and this really lovely girl, a young dresser, and it was early, it was like 10.30am, was like, “Are you alright Nads? What are you doing?”
Nadia responded angrily that she was going to the pub, but the dresser gently coaxed her back, telling her that it was a huge rehearsal.
Nadia, on the other hand, claimed the actress, whom she declined to name, had pushed her ‘too far,’ but the young crew member had some wise advice.
‘Don’t let her do that,’ she advised Nadia. ‘Turn around. Go back. Because then she has won.’
The panellist did return to the rehearsal and giggled as she remembered stuffing the entire contents of her dressing room, including a TV remote, into her bag, comparing it to leaving a partner.
Loose Women airs weekdays from 12.30pm on ITV.
