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Saira Khan wants 'gay, transgender or non-binary' host to replace her on 'Loose Women'

Saira Khan (PA)
Saira Khan (PA)

Saira Khan has said she wants to be replaced by a “gay, transgender or non-binary” host after quitting Loose Women.

The presenter has announced that she is leaving the ITV programme, saying in the Mirror that she had been reassessing amid the coronavirus pandemic and that it was time to give up her seat to another woman who would “benefit from the platform as I did”.

She has now followed it up by sharing what she would like to see happen next.

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“I’d love my @loosewomen seat to be given to either a gay, transgender or non-binary person - that will help the show to be more reflective of the world we live in,” Khan posted on Instagram.

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“That’s what I would do if I was in charge.”

The 50-year-old said “it wasn’t an easy decision” to quit but that it was a decision she needed to make “in order to grow myself in other ways”.

“I came to the show a troubled soul and I will eternally be grateful for the platform @loosewomen gave me to share, speak up and out,” she said.

“I will miss the great women who have become my very close friends.

“I feel honoured and privileged to have sat alongside them and learnt from them.

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Saira Khan (ITV)

“I leave the show feeling I’ve dealt with the baggage and now can enjoy moving forward to grow and enjoy new life opportunities, which includes growing my skincare business @sairaskinuk and exploring other media projects.”

Khan – who has been a regular panellist on the talk show since 2015 – said she was not a fan of formal goodbyes so would not be on the programme to look at her “best bits”.

“It was an honour and a privilege to be part of this iconic show of strong, talented, feisty, honest, opinionated, caring, loving women,” she said.

“Thanks for the opportunities and everlasting friendship and memories.

(left to right) Stacey Solomon, Saira Khan, Nadia Sawalha, Jane Moore and Coleen Nolan attending the National Television Awards 2019 held at the O2 Arena, London.
Stacey Solomon, Saira Khan, Nadia Sawalha, Jane Moore and Coleen Nolan (PA)

“Thank you to the amazing audience who have watched and supported me, and now follow me here. You have given me so much love and self-confidence, more than you will ever know. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

“You’ve helped shape me, to become the woman I want to be, moving forward,” she added.

Read more: Saira Khan is glowing after solo holiday in Portugal

Khan’s departure comes not long after Andrea McLean left. The presenter announced last year that she was saying goodbye to Loose Women after 13 years.

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