Andrea McLean has announced she is set to leave ITV's Loose Women after Christmas. The presenter, who first joined the show in 2007, made the shocking announcement on Monday's episode of the show and was visibly emotional while explaining her reasons to fellow panellists Linda Robson, Saira Khan and Brenda Edwards.
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Holding back the tears, Andrea began: "I didn't think I was going to cry, I told you girls before the show, but I'm going to be leaving Loose Women. I didn't mean to cry I'm so sorry.
WATCH: Andrea McLean breaks down in tears as she announces departure from Loose Women
"[I'm leaving] Because I want to be brave. All the incredible feedback I had from my book, I want to bring it to life. It was a really big decision to jump and see if I fall or if I fly. So I'm going to be saying goodbye to Loose Women."
She continued: "You just never know until you try, so I just want to put myself out there and see what the universe has in store."
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© Photo: ITVAndrea made the announcement on Monday's show
After explaining how the pandemic gave her a new perspective on life, the 51-year-old explained her reasons for leaving. "You get one life, are you living it the way that you want? Are you doing everything you want to do? Are you being brave? Are you taking chances? And I realised… no."
Andrea was quick to assure viewers she wasn't leaving immediately. "I'm not leaving today, I'm still going to be here right up until Christmas."
The ITV star's co-panellists were equally as emotional as Andrea broke the news. Linda told her co-star: "We're going to miss you so much. When I was going through my depression last year you were the one calling me up."
Saira added: "Whatever you do, you're going to make a success of it. But you if you think you're going to leave this show without [...] a massive send off, don't you worry!"
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