Nadia Sawalha has said she is "happy" to no longer be on television after experiencing "horrendous" anxiety throughout her career. The former Loose Women star, 61, shared her feelings on the Miss Leigh Ding Fortunes podcast, weeks after threatening ITV with legal action over her exit from the show.
Freedom from television
During the podcast, Sawalha said: "I am happy to not be on telly and I'm happy to have a free voice." She added that she was "grateful" to have her own YouTube channel, Coffee Moaning, as she feels she has a "much more meaningful voice" now than when she was on TV.
"Television is a dying place, it really is," she continued. "And it's a silencer."
Anxiety and self-criticism
Sawalha, who also appeared in EastEnders, described the anxiety she felt while on TV shows: "I was so anxious. The anxiety was horrendous. It's unlike anything else, because you don't get any real double takes - it's just literally 'remember your lines and don't bump into the furniture.'"
She said that despite online trolls, no one could get to her anymore because she "had so many trolls" in her own head and felt "no troll has ever said anything nastier" than she had to herself.
Legal action against ITV
Sawalha's comments come after she and a legal organisation representing her sent a pre-action letter to ITV, claiming the broadcaster had "subjected Nadia to direct discrimination, indirect discrimination and harassment because of her protected philosophical beliefs". This followed an alleged row over her vocal support of Palestinian rights.
In an Instagram video, the star said she was the "target of an escalating campaign of smears, complaints, hostile media coverage and targeted calls to have [her] removed from Loose Women". She added that, after "speaking out against brutal oppression", her critics accused her of promoting false claims and conspiracies, and that ITV took her on and off Loose Women several times.
She also said she had "mostly been told" by ITV that "the reason for [her removal] was, 'It's all a bit noisy out there for us'" and that they were "forever changing the goalposts" on when she could come back.
Court case and ITV response
The European Legal Support Center (ELSC), which supports pro-Palestinian cases, wrote to ITV on her behalf, alleging she was discriminated against because of her "anti-Zionist beliefs", which are "protected under the Equality Act 2010".
Sawalha has since said she is taking ITV to court. She confirmed the news at the Ethnicity Awards in London, announcing: "I'm officially not on Loose Women any more, as of four weeks ago. I'm taking ITV to court. It's a mountain of tension."
Despite her statement, an ITV source told The Mail the broadcaster was "not aware" of any court action, although it confirmed that it had received a legal letter. The source said: "She sent a legal letter to us and we have responded." The Mirror went to ITV and Sawalha's representatives for comment at the time.
