‘Loose Women’ viewers were dealt a heavy dose of nostalgia on Thursday, when former panellist Carol McGiffin made a return to the show.
It’s been five years since Carol stepped down from the ITV daytime show, suggesting at the time she felt she had “completely plundered her private life” and “exhausted her repertoire of anecdotes”.
But despite having a few choice words about ‘Loose Women’ in her time away (more on that later), Carol has now returned to the ITV staple, and in her typically candid first show back, nothing was off the table, from her breast cancer battle to her recent facelift, the latter of which she said she’d undergone just three weeks prior to her return.
Reflecting on her time away, Carol told her fellow panellists: “I did ′Celebrity Big Brother’, didn’t win thank God... then I got sick, I had breast cancer, I lost my hair and I lost a boob, then I was really ill for about two years getting over it.
“I sold my flat in London and I bought a house in France, I spend a lot of time in France and then I had a facelift… and then I came back to ‘Loose Women’.”
On her choice to return to the show, Carol said: “[When I was ill]. I wasn’t actually feeling like there was a lot of point in doing a lot of stuff. When you have cancer, and a lot of people have, and you recover, you have to wait five years before they give you the all clear but even then, there’s no guarantees.
“In my head for about two years I kept thinking, ‘It’s going to come back tomorrow so what’s the point? I might as well not work so then I can just have a good time.’ I just couldn’t plan doing anything. I was convinced, it was at the front of my mind, that it was going to come back and that was going to be that.
“It hasn’t come back so I’ve had to go back to work, which is a really good thing actually. I’m really pleased to be here.”
Carol also revealed she was still with her fiancé, Mark Cassidy, her relationship with whom dominated much of her conversation on her original run on ‘Loose Women’, largely thanks to the 22-year age gap between the two of them.
‘Loose Women’ viewers tweeting along with the show during Carol’s return were particularly complimentary, with many commenting that it felt like no time had passed since she was last on the show:
While it seemed like no topic was off limits as Carol reclaimed her seat at the ‘Loose Women’ desk, she did conveniently leave out her many unflattering comments about the show in her time away, most recently when she and former co-star Denise Welch were left out of an anniversary celebration.
Denise, another former ‘Loose Women’ favourite, also made a recent return to the show after a lengthy absence.
12 Stars You'd Forgotten Were 'Loose Women'
Karren Brady(01 of12)
Open Image ModalLong before she was answering to Lord Sugar, The Apprentice star Karren was letting loose on the ITV daytime show.
She was one of the original line-up of ladies, appearing on the first episode in 1999.
And while her stint was short-lived, ending just a year later, Karren returned to the panel for an anniversary special in 2017, along with the rest of the women who appeared on that very first show. (credit:REX)
Kerry Katona(02 of12)
Open Image ModalBack when she was Kerry McFadden (those were the days, eh?), the Atomic Kitten singer appeared as a panelist between 2003 and 2004.
She was only 23 when she joined the show, making her the youngest Loose Woman regular ever, and her sometimes naive outlook on life meant she often clashed with Sherrie Hewson, providing many hilarious moments. (credit:REX)
Nina Wadia(03 of12)
Open Image ModalShe's best known for playing the opinionated Zainab Masood in EastEnders, but Nina offered up plenty of opinions of her own when she appeared as a series regular between 2005 and 2006. (credit:REX)
Gillian Taylforth(04 of12)
Open Image ModalAnother EastEnder who graced the Loose Women panel was Gillian Taylforth – better known as Walford's Kathy Beale.
The actress enjoyed two stints as a Loose lady, first in 2006 and again in 2008. (credit:REX)
Cilla Black(05 of12)
Open Image ModalWhile the late Cilla will be remembered for her huge TV hits Blind Date and Surprise Surprise, her last regular TV gig was actually as a Loose Woman.
She appeared first as a guest anchor in 2009 and was invited back as a regular panelist between 2010 and 2011, returning for a final appearance in 2014. (credit:REX)
Sarah Millican(06 of12)
Open Image ModalIn our humble opinion, Sarah's tenure as a Loose Woman was simply not long enough.
The comic only appeared as a panelist for less than a year in 2011, before leaving to concentrate on her stand-up career. (credit:REX)
Beverley Callard(07 of12)
Open Image ModalDuring one of her many breaks from Coronation Street, Beverley (aka Liz McDonald) took up a seat behind the famous desk in 2010. (credit:REX)
Kym Marsh(08 of12)
Open Image ModalWhile Kym has recently enjoyed a few turns as a guest panellist, many have forgotten her original stint as a regular on the show in 2005, back when she sported an interesting (if that's the right word?) set of hair extensions. (credit:REX)
Claire Sweeney(09 of12)
Open Image ModalThe former Brookside actress enjoyed over two years on the panel back in 2003, and later returned for six episodes in 2010, and a further two in 2012. (credit:REX)
Sheree Murphy(10 of12)
Open Image ModalSheree was a welcome addition to the panel in 2006, after she finished playing Emmerdale's much-loved Tricia Dingle. While she left in 2007, she later returned as a guest panellist for an episode in 2015. (credit:REX)
Claire Richards(11 of12)
Open Image ModalAfter the departure of many of Loose Women's biggest names in 2013 and 2014, Steps singer Claire made a string of guest appearances. She impressed bosses so much, she was soon promoted to a regular.
However, a massive revamp of the show in the September of 2014 saw her leave the show with no explanation. (credit:REX)
Jenny Powell(12 of12)
Open Image ModalThe Wheel Of Fortune assistant was finally given a break from turning around letters on a board in 2004, when she joined the Loose Women panel for a year. (credit:ITV)