Loose Women presenter Coleen Nolan says her show isn't sexist

Feb 9 2011 by Catherine Lillington, Sunday Mercury

LOOSE Women presenter Coleen Nolan has hit back at critics who dubbed her TV show ‘sexist’ and has revealed she gets upset if builders don’t wolf whistle her.

The baby Nolan sister spoke out while defending ex-Sky Sports anchorman Andy Gray and said his bosses were wrong to sack him.

Many TV critics pointed their fingers at ITV’s Loose Women for its all-female banter in the furore that erupted over Gray’s off air comments to fellow presenter Richard Keys about Midland referee assistant Sian Massey.

The pair questioned the Coventry PE teacher’s ability to understand the off side rule while she was running the line at Wolves’ game against Liverpool.

Coleen said she expected a backlash against Loose Women as the spotlight was turned on sexism.

She said: “It didn’t surprise me in the least.

“I didn’t agree with the sacking, and all that, of Andy Gray, purely because I thought that was a private conversation.

“If the exchange had been on air it would have been a different ball game.

“I would have been saying ‘yeah, get rid of him. It’s misogynist almost.

“I think there’s a fine line, I also think people are so losing the plot. Men will always have men banter about women and women will always have women banter about men. And I love that.

“Some women don’t even like being whistled at by a builder in the street – I think that’s a shame. Whereas I get more upset if they don’t.

The mum to Ciara, nine, Jake, 18, and Shane Junior, 22, who is now in her second marriage to musician Ray Fensome, has just written her second novel, called Denial.

Set in the cut-throat world of the TV industry, Coleen admits it’s partly inspired by her own experiences, but insists only one of the characters is based on her.