Andrea McLean emotional as she announces Loose Women departure
She told fellow panellists that the pandemic made her question what she wanted from life.
Andrea McLean is quitting Loose Women after 13 years on the TV show.
The presenter, 51, who has previously spoken openly about having a breakdown last year, became emotional on the daytime programme as she announced she would be leaving.
She told fellow panellists Linda Robson, Brenda Edwards and Saira Khan that the pandemic made her question whether “I want my life to go back to the normal that it was before”.
“Obviously last year I had a nervous breakdown and what I felt is that this year, collectively the world has had a breakdown,” she said.
“The experience that I had has meant that this year that I have actually been mentally really strong to deal with everything that the pandemic threw at all of us but it made me stop and think, ‘What do I actually want?’.”
She added: “You get one life, are you living it the way that you want? And are you doing everything that you want to do? Are you being brave? Are you taking chances? And I realised, no.”
McLean added: “It was a really, really big decision to jump and see if I fall or if I fly. And I just thought, I will never know unless I try, so I am saying goodbye to Loose Women.”
The programme’s editor, Sally Shelford, said: “Andrea has been an important member of the Loose Women family for an incredible 13 years, sharing laughs, opinions, fun and friendship with our viewers.
“As well as being a much-loved anchor and friend, over the years she has been a passionate supporter of our award-winning… campaigns.
“We are very sad to say goodbye, but she will always be part of the Loose family and we wish her all the best for her exciting new chapter.”
The presenter will focus on her website and will be leaving the show at Christmas.
