Sherrie Hewson has said she does not recognise Loose Women in its current form, as she looks back on a career spanning 70 years. The 75-year-old, who spent more than a decade on the ITV lunchtime panel show before leaving in 2016, has returned as a guest only a handful of times since.
A Changed Format
The programme has undergone significant changes in recent years, with Denise Welch and Nadia Sawalha among the notable departures. It has also been reduced to 30 weeks a year out of 52, and the live studio audience has been removed to cut costs.
Reflecting on her time on the show, Hewson said: "Loose Women in my day was extraordinary, because we didn't have the problems we have now where you can't say that. We didn't have any of that, we just said what we thought."
She recalled: "We had the most unbelievable rows with Janet Street-Porter, but they were real rows. We were still friends afterwards and went out to dinner. You don't see that anymore, but because we had the freedom to do it, it was a very different day."
Behind the Scenes Camaraderie
Despite the on-screen clashes, Hewson insists they were all great friends off camera. "We'd meet each other at eight o'clock in the morning for the meeting, and we'd all have very strong opinions, and the producers would come to us and say, 'You know, is that really what you think?' It was a different time, but we'd done it for a long time," she said.
She added: "Now it's a very different show, because obviously you've got to be very careful, like everything on television now. You've got to be very careful what you say, how you say it. We just said what we thought, and somehow we got away with it!"
Hewson described the backstage atmosphere as like a family. "Coleen Nolan is a very old friend, and Carol McGiffin was that too. When I had my divorce, they were all wonderful. We were a family then," she explained.
"We knew each other, we knew what was happening, we knew if somebody was not well, or somebody was unhappy or sad, and we all stuck together and got ourselves through whatever bad times we came up against. We all stuck together and helped each other. That's what I took from that, and what I remember. It was a brilliant time, and I loved the show very much."
A Career in Television and Soap
Hewson also reflected on the impact of Loose Women since its launch in 1999. "Women didn't really have a voice then... You were expected to put up and shut up," she said. "Now, women have a very strong voice. You know, they are a powerhouse... they have a really good, strong voice, and can stand up for themselves. And I don't think that's a bad thing. I think that's a good thing."
Beyond Loose Women, Hewson is known for her role as Joyce Temple Savage in Benidorm, which she played for 10 years. "Joyce Temple Savage was a gift of a character that Derren Litten wrote for me... It was a fantastic role. And everybody in it, we had the best time. Five months in Spain for 10 years each year, how lucky! Somebody had to do it!" she joked.
There have been discussions about a Benidorm revival, which Hewson would welcome. "In the difficult world we're living in now... as soon as that music comes, it softens their world, and they feel so much better. And they laugh and laugh. Wouldn't it be great as a film? The Benidorm film! A 2.5 hour film, wouldn't that be fabulous?" she said.
Hewson also spent two years in Emmerdale as Lesley Meredith, four years on Coronation Street as Maureen Naylor, and most recently appeared as Martha Blake in Hollyoaks. "I always say soap actors are some of the best actors that we have in this country," she said. "There's no time for mistakes. There's no time for second takes. There's no time for rehearsals. They just deliver those scenes brilliantly."
Charity Work and Personal Loss
In her personal life, Hewson lost her brother Brett Hutchinson in March 2019 after he was diagnosed with a grade 4 glioblastoma, an aggressive and incurable brain tumour. Her show Benidorm Nights is raising funds for The Brain Tumour Charity, a cause close to her heart.
"Grief is funny because we all have ways of dealing with it. My brother was spectacular. He was chivalrous - just amazing in every way, every part of him was spectacular, and he was spectacular in his life," she said. "I try and hold on to that and remember him as being that, rather than grieving for the rest of my life. He was a rock in the sense of saying, 'Come on. Stop it. You're better than this. Get out there, get your makeup on, and do your hair, and get out there and get on with life."
Hewson is partnering with Remember A Charity Week to encourage people to leave a gift in their will to a cause close to their heart. The What's My Legacy campaign asks people to consider how supporting a charity in their will can make a significant difference.
New data shows that women are less optimistic about the future than men (36% vs 44%), but more likely to believe they can make a positive difference (77% vs 69%). 47% of women say being a good parent, grandparent or family member is central to their legacy, compared with 36% of men. Only 6% of women have already left a charitable gift in their will, compared with 11% of men. Just 34% of women are aware of the tax benefits of charitable gifts in wills, versus 42% of men.
