The real reason why Penny Lancaster stepped down as a Loose Women panelist has been revealed amid ongoing reports of “toxicity” on set.
She has been on the show since 2014, but fans feared she had quit after not appearing on the daytime show for months.
It has since been revealed that she will no longer work as a regular panelist, but will appear as a ‘guest’ on future shows.
Penny’s departure is the latest in a string of high-profile names leaving the show, with many accusing Loose Women of running a “toxic” environment behind the scenes.
Still, a representative for Penny was quick to clear up any rumors surrounding the special police officer’s decision.
Revealed: The real reason why Penny Lancaster stepped down as Loose Women panelist has been revealed amid ongoing reports of ‘toxicity’ on set
They told MailOnline: ‘Penny has been approached to appear on the show in September but is only available for one date in the near future; a date that doesn’t work for Loose Women.
‘Penny has just returned from abroad after a six-week absence; and soon she will leave for South America. We and Loose Women have agreed to review the diary when she returns in October.
Clearly, Penny is no longer a regular panelist. This is purely due to other professional and personal commitments.
“Penny loves the show; and Loose Women loves Penny. But the appearances she will be able to make in the future will be as a guest.”
Penny, who is married to Rod Stewart, is the latest to leave the program after regulars Carol McGiffin and Saira Khan quit.
Carol and Saira both left the show amid claims that there was “toxicity” behind the scenes of the long-running daytime series.
Penny was last seen on the show 47 times since she first joined in 2014. She was regularly seen until last fall.
It comes after Loose Women agent Melanie Blake, who has represented 15 of the women who have appeared on the show, described it as “cutting.”
Time out: She has appeared on the show since 2014, but fans feared she had quit after not appearing on the daytime show for months
Speaking out: Carol McGiffin accused her previous show of pushing liberal awakened rhetoric ‘down viewers’ throats’ after ending her 20-year association with the ITV base
Annoyed: Saira Khan has claimed only Stacey Solomon was allowed to be ‘the nice one’ on Loose Women as she rekindles her feud with ITV (pictured in the show in 2020)
In the wake of the Phillip Schofield scandal, she said, “In my experience, it’s that show that’s a cutthroat place to work, not This Morning.”
Earlier she said: “Put together a load of ambitious women with a small number of seats to fill and there will inevitably always be tension.
‘Showbiz is not just diamonds and rosé. Even though the Loose Women’s party line has been best friends from day one, it’s just that: a party line.’
Carol was forced to leave Loose Women after a tirade on the radio claiming the pandemic was a World Health Organization plot to take over every government.
She confirmed she had left the lunchtime show and protested that ITV insisted she sign a contract with clauses that were ‘completely unfair and unworkable’.
But The Mail on Sunday subsequently revealed that an argument over freedom of expression was central to her departure, following a response to her rant in an interview on TNT Radio.
Speaking to Dan Wootton on GB News after she left the show, she said, “If you read all the comments to last weekend’s article, there are a lot of people who think the program has become very, very awake.”
After Dan confessed that he’s not watching the show because of the change in tone, she added, “Well, neither am I.” The entire mainstream media is very much awake.
“You just don’t have to shove this stuff down people’s throats, it’s not just ITV, the BBC is probably worse – and when you say that, Channel 4 is probably the worst of them all. It’s not a place where I feel I belong.’
And even though you should be having the debates and seeing a difference of opinion, in the typical waking ideals you don’t really get it anymore, you’re not allowed to say it and if you do you either get censored or you get canceled , as many people have learned at their expense.”
Referring to ITV, she said: “They come back and say we support free speech, but I can’t see it, I can’t really see it – at least from where I sit.”
Carol’s departure followed the departure of former Loose Women star Saira Khan from the show, when she slammed the program during an interview in July.
To talk with Closer magazine, she said only Stacey Solomon should be the fun one on the program and she should be the “loud, gobby one.”
Saira, 53, who left the show three years ago, said: ‘I couldn’t be who I wanted to be on TV. At Loose Women you could see that I was pretty spicy. But that’s the silo they put me in.
“I wanted to have some fun, but it wasn’t for me, that was for Stacey Solomon. Stacey was the fun one, but I had to be the “loud, gobby one.”
“I don’t need to be in environments where I don’t need to be. I’ve worked hard all my life. I did the show and I enjoyed it, but it doesn’t define me.”
Last year, Saira claimed her sudden departure from Loose Women was due to ITV bosses trying to force her to join OnlyFans.
However, a spokesperson for Loose Women told MailOnline at the time: ‘We strongly refute all these allegations. Duty of care is of paramount importance to all our panelists. Saira left the Loose Women panel almost two years ago and we wish her well.”
It comes after she told The Mirror: ‘The straw that broke the camel’s back was when one of the young producers was sent after me to ask if I’d be willing to open an OnlyFans account.’
Saira explained, “To say I was shocked was an understatement. I could tell she was shocked herself when she asked me. I replied, “You are asking an Asian woman who has a husband and children and comes from a Muslim family to open an OnlyFans account?”
“It’s just on your social media that you’ve been posting images in your underwear and we thought if you could go undercover and see what kind of reactions you get from men that would be a great story.
“At that point I knew my time was up on the show. I felt humiliated, angry, disappointed and like fodder.”
A source close to the ITV show has told MailOnline that OnlyFans and online safety ‘could always be the subject of an investigation’, explaining: ‘Loose Women Investigates is a section that has produced reports on a range of different topics that are relevant are for viewers including missing persons and online safety.’
“Online sites such as Only Fans and their safety have been discussed many times during the show and may always be a subject of investigation.”
Saira claimed she loves TV presenting but knew she could no longer work in a “toxic” environment due to her own mental health.
However, the source told MailOnline that Saira had nothing but kind things to say to members of the Loose Women production team as she left the show.
They said: ‘Saira has exchanged many warm texts and WhatsApp messages thanking the production members for their support while working on the programme, so the idea of ’producers not supporting’ is wrong.
The thread of Saira’s messages to the Loose Women production – and there are many – thanks them for the wealth of support she received working on the show that ‘she will never forget’ and for continued ‘kindness’ . This is at odds with today’s claims.’
Saira also shared how she was asked to have a mold made of her vagina for a Body Stories campaign, but the insider insisted that “Saira was not involved in this campaign or the special show that aired around this campaign .’
“The award-winning Body Stories campaign tackled the taboo around vaginal dysmorphia in 2017 and it’s a campaign we’re proud of,” said the source.
Exit: The former panelist previously claimed she was asked to have a mold of her vagina made for a Body Stories campaign
“Its purpose was to get women talking about vaginal health issues and to break the stigma of what is ‘normal’ as female genital surgery takes off worldwide.”
The former panelist previously revealed that there were certain women on the show’s panel that she “just had to tolerate” in order to “get the job done.”
After leaving, Saira blocked Nadia Sawalha, Kaye Adams and Jane Moore from viewing her Instagram posts.
While it was initially believed that the trio of panelists had unfollowed their former co-star, the source told MailOnline that all three had been unceremoniously blocked.