Dame Kelly Holmes has been announced as a brand new Loose Women Panellist.
The sporting legend will be taking on the role full time and will cover topics of the day with other panellists such as Nadia Sawalha, Kaye Adams, Judi Love and Charlene White.
Dame Kelly appeared on the show in June and spoke to the ladies about her documentary on being her “authentic self”, having come out as gay.
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She told The Sun: “I am extremely excited about joining Loose Women.
“Having met a few of the panellists recently, I know that the shows will be full of energy, smiles, tears and lots of laughs. I hope I can bring my energy to the show and I will be up for doing any mad experiences that they throw at me.”
(Image: Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
She added: “It will be so different to anything I have done before in my career, but now I have found my authentic voice since the airing of my documentary, I will join in on many conversations that I felt I never could before.”
She also said that she will be “up for anything” that the producers want to throw at her.
Loose Women’s editor Sally Shelford added: “We are thrilled and honoured to have Dame Kelly Holmes join the Loose Women panel.
“She is a national treasure and an inspiration to us all. We can’t wait to get her take on the topics of the day.
(Image: Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
“Plus, she has already set us the challenge of taking her out of her comfort zone and putting her sense of adventure to the test.”
Kelly won two gold medals for the UK at the 2004 Olympic games in Athens.
In June Kelly made the decision to come out as gay in an exclusive interview with The Mirror where she said: “There have been lots of dark times where I wished I could scream that I am gay – but I couldn’t.”
The superstar athlete was hit with Covid-19 in October 2021 and it made her decide that she didn’t want her close friends to feel as though she hadn’t been herself when she one day passed away.
(Image: ITV)
Holmes said: “When I was lying on the sofa feeling awful I realised that if something happened to me, they’re the ones who would be saying, ‘It’s such a shame Kelly couldn’t stand there and be herself’. I don’t want that to be said at my funeral.”
Kelly will be making her first appearance as a panellist on Loose Women on Monday (September 12).
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
