Loose Women panellist hits back at feud rumours as she reveals why she turned down the show

LOOSE Women’s Sunetra Sarker has hit back at feud rumours while revealing why she initially turned down the show.

Actress Sunetra, 51, joined the ITV show in 2021 following an illustrious acting career.

While the Casualty star is now a firm favourite on the panel, she’s confessed to being apprehensive at first.

Speaking in a new interview, she explained how bosses offered her the job after appearing as an interviewee.

Telling The Mirror she initially declined their proposal, Sunetra said: “I was like, ‘No, it’s not for me. I’m an actor. I’ll have to stay in my lane. Y’know I know what I can do and what I can’t do. I’m sure that’s not for me.'”

But, after giving in with a one-off guest panellist spot, she finally decided to give the role a try.

And, when asked about cast rivalries, Sunetra explained that the rapid pace of the program leaves little time for disagreements, and that her fellow panelists are always supportive and protective of one another.

She said: “If there were any contradictory panels … I think they’ve done the show for so long they’ve learnt the hard way probably and they’ve now got to the point where it’s such a smooth running ship.

“You haven’t got time to have a spat, so to speak. Literally, you’ve got like 15 minutes to understand we’re gonna be doing a promo, and then this, and then get to make up.

“I’m not a real spatty kind of person and also my radar for things like this is really bad.”

But it hasn’t been smooth-sailing for Sunetra as she divided viewers with a joke about meningitis in 2022.

The TV personality said on Loose Women she would rather deal with “meningitis on Casualty” than look at nits.

The remark by the actress — who played consultant Zoe Hanna in the BBC medical drama — triggered a string of complaints.

The Meningitis Now charity said it had been flooded with calls about the panel show from those who had lost relatives to the brain infection.

And the charity’s chief Dr Tom Nutt urged the television company to consider if the comment should go unchallenged.

He said: “We can understand people’s anger at this thoughtless and disappointing comment.

“Many of the people who contacted Meningitis Now have experienced significant trauma, loss   and devastation as a  result of this disease.”