Though Nadia Sawalha has acted in some of the country’s most popular soaps, the British public have come to know her best for her nearly three-decade run as presenter of one of ITV’s flagship daytime shows, ‘Loose Women’.
But when she started speaking out for Palestine after Israel launched its war against Gaza in the wake of the October 7 attacks, Nadia tells Zeteo UK’s Sangita Myska she was, without warning, taken off air. Her bosses, she says, told her “it’s a bit noisy out there.”
“I took it to mean… your beliefs, your passion, your anti-genocide, all of that… it’s creating noise we don’t want. It’s uncomfortable for us,” Nadia says.
Now, in this exclusive, inaugural “Sangita Meets…” interview – Nadia’s first with independent media since launching legal action against one of the UK’s top broadcasters – Nadia says she hopes her case will set a precedent. “We must make it more difficult to treat people unfairly, individuals unfairly, that are following their absolute moral compass.”
In this wide-ranging and fascinating podcast conversation, Sangita also asks Nadia about her Jordanian roots, fighting back against accusations of antisemitism, how it felt to receive a formal apology and libel damages from the Daily Mail after a defamation lawsuit, and why Nadia believes that legal proceedings against ITV will mean the end of her career as an actress.
Zeteo UK has contacted ITV for comment, but as of publication, the company has not responded.
Paid subscribers can watch the full interview, while free subscribers get a four-minute preview. Consider upgrading your subscription to get first access to who Sangita is meeting next, along with all of Zeteo UK’s content.
