ITV pulls Nadia Sawalha from Loose Women after antisemitism row
Presenter absent from ITV panel after backlash over conspiracy theory-linked videos featuring suspended Green Party activist husband
Loose Women panellist Nadia Sawalha has reportedly been taken off air amid growing controversy over online videos linked to her husband, suspended Green Party activist Mark Adderley.
According to reports first published by the Daily Mail, Sawalha has not appeared on the ITV programme since the end of April and is not expected back next week as the broadcaster and presenter “have some space” following complaints over material shared online.
The row centres on videos uploaded to a YouTube channel run by Adderley, often featuring Sawalha, which reportedly promoted conspiracy theories linked to Israel and Jewish organisations.
Adderley was suspended by the Green Party ahead of the local elections after posts emerged in which he allegedly compared Israel to Nazi Germany and shared conspiracy theories involving Jews and major world events. Despite the suspension, his name still appeared on ballot papers in Croydon local elections.
The Mail reported that videos on the couple’s channel referenced supposed “Israeli false flag” operations connected to incidents including the firebombing of Jewish community ambulances in Golders Green.
In a video posted after her husband’s suspension, Sawalha blamed “dark forces behind everything that you see” for the backlash and defended Adderley as “the most decent kind, super smart man with the hugest of hearts.”
The Campaign Against Antisemitism previously called on ITV to investigate the presenter’s remarks. A spokesperson for the organisation said: “What sort of ‘dark forces’ is Nadia Sawalha referring to?
“You expect spouses to be loyal, but appearing to double down on the sort of conspiratorial tropes that her husband has been promoting and that presumably prompted this suspension from the Green Party is not the way to go about it.”
Labour Against Antisemitism also criticised the presenter’s online activity. Alex Hearn told the Daily Mail: “Nadia Sawalha has been posting vile, unhinged rants online for some time now. It is time ITV took action against her, before she does serious damage to the reputation of one of Britain’s oldest broadcasters.”
Sawalha, a former EastEnders and Absolutely Fabulous actress, has continued appearing in livestreams and political discussions alongside her husband despite the backlash.
Jewish News has contacted ITV for comment.
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