Carol McGiffin has become a household name in the UK thanks to her regular appearances on ITV's Loose Women. Having joined the show back in 2000 and then returning in 2018 following a five-year break, the broadcaster has become a fan favourite on the lunchtime programme.
So why has the 63-year-old been missing from our screens for several weeks? Find out if Carol has quit the show and what she has said about her absence.
Has Carol McGiffin quit Loose Women?
Carol has been missing from her regular spot on the daytime show for months and in her latest column for Best Magazine, said that she "can't see a way back" after clashing with ITV over contract issues.
The front cover of this week's edition of the publication shows a picture of Carol next to a headline that reads: "'I Quit!' What really happened behind the scenes."
The former Celebrity Big Brother star explained: "The problem was, ITV were insisting, for the first time since I went back in 2018, that if I wanted to carry on doing the show, I would have to sign a contract that was totally unjust and unworkable for me, so I had to say 'no thanks'."
She added: "No one in their right mind would have signed that contract. And I can't see a way back from it."
ITV shared a statement in response that read: "ITV will not comment on or disclose details of individual contracts but all ITV contracts comply with the required employment and HMRC legislation."
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Carol posted a snap of the magazine cover to her Instagram page, writing in the caption: "This week's @bestmagofficial explains why I've not been on Loose Women for a while……."
Carol's co-stars shared their disappointment in the comment section, with Frankie Bridge writing: "Gutted Carol xx."
Nadia Sawalha also commented: "Miss you smelly poo! Even though we disagreed on most things you've always made me laugh my head off! As I've always said thank god we weren't at school together it would have been #carnage!! Big hugs x."
Carol first appeared on the show in 2000 as a regular panellist, joining original cast members Kaye Adams, Ruth Langsford, Jane Moore and Nadia Sawalha.
After 13 years on the programme, she decided to take a five-year break before returning in 2018. Ahead of her comeback, she wrote in a tweet that she would make a reappearance if "certain panellists were let go".
Responding to a follower who asked if she would go back, she responded in a tweet from 2017: " I would go back but only if certain panellist [sic] were let go."
Original Loose Women panellists
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