Saira Khan reveals her exit from Loose Women was down to bosses trying to make her join OnlyFans

Saira Khan has claimed that her sudden departure from Loose Women was due to ITV bosses trying to get her to join OnlyFans.

The former panelist, 52, also shared how she was asked to have a mold of her vagina made for a Body Stories campaign.

Speaking to The Mirror, Saira said: “The straw that broke the camel’s back was when one of the young producers ran after me to ask if I was willing to open an OnlyFans account.”

Saira explained: “To say I was shocked was an understatement. I could see that she herself was mortified for asking 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 to see what kind of reaction you get from men, it would be a great story.

“There and then I knew my time was up on the show. I felt humiliated, angry, disappointed and like fodder.’

Saira claimed she enjoys TV presenting but knew she could no longer work in a “toxic” environment for her own mental health.

ITV has come under fire for workers’ mental health after a string of high profile suicides, including that of former Love Island presenter Caroline Flack aged 40.

A spokesperson for Loose Women told MailOnline: ‘We strongly refute all these claims. Duty of care is a top priority for all our panel members. Saira left the Loose Women panel almost two years ago and we wish her all the best.’

The former panelist previously revealed that there were certain women on the show’s panel that she “just had to tolerate” in order to “do the job.”

After her departure, Saira blocked Nadia Sawalha, Kaye Adams and Jane Moore from viewing her Instagram posts.

While it was initially believed the trio of panelists had unfollowed their former co-star, the source told MailOnline that all three were unceremoniously blocked.

But Saira still follows other familiar faces from the chat show, including Stacey Solomon, Brenda Edwards and Ruth Langsford.

Likewise, the ex-Apprentice star Linda Robson, Coleen Nolan, Denise Welch, Kelle Bryan and Judi Love of Loose Women has not deleted from her Instagram.

In a new interview, the Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins star confessed that she “wouldn’t be friends in real life” with all of her co-stars, adding that the coveted TV job was “turning toxic.”

Speak with the mirrorWhen asked why she left the show, Saira explains: “First of all, I had outgrown the program. There were some women that I thought, ‘I just have to tolerate you to do the job and in real life you wouldn’t be my friend.’

“They would say the same thing about me,” she added, continuing: “Plus, I’ve talked a lot about myself on that show — my abuse, adoption, arranged marriages, and a lot of relationship stuff. You don’t get much thanks for that.’

When asked if she thinks leaving is the right decision, Saira continues: ‘Yes. If you’re in a job that doesn’t suit your heart, all you can do is make a change […] if you discuss a topic there with your friends in a very innocent way, the amount of trolls you get online is horrendous. It just becomes toxic to women.”

The direct-talking star added that she no longer felt like her time on the show was more powerful due to the abuse she endured online.

She said her situation on the show was very comfortable with a good wardrobe, friends and money, but the toxicity grew and the trolling became too much for her.

At the time of her departure in January, Saira appeared to be taking a thinly veiled swipe at Loose Women.

The TV personality shared a cryptic post that read, “They want you to do well, but never better than them,” while also stating that she won’t “limit herself” to pleasing others.