Saira Khan follows in Andrea McLean's footsteps as she announces she's leaving Loose Women

Saira Khan has announced that she's following in Andrea McLean's footsteps by leaving ITV's Loose Women.

The TV personality, who has presented the show for five years, revealed the news in her Daily Mirror column and by appearing on the front cover of the newspaper's Saturday magazine Notebook.

In her column, the Loose Women panelist admitted that the pandemic made her 'reassess her priorities' and also went on to say she felt as though 'she had nothing left to share'. 

The TV star started off her column with how 2020 and the pandemic was tough, but how it also 'created a catalyst for change.'

She then went on to admit: "It has certainly made me assess my priorities, values and how I want to move forward with my life.

"So I start this new year by saying goodbye to Loose Women. After five years of being a regular panellist, I’ve decided to give up my seat to another woman who will benefit from the platform as I did."

Saira, who is married with two children, said quitting the ITV show meant she could spend more time with her family and on her skincare business, Saira Skin.

The ex Loose Women co-host also revealed the news on her Instagram page, where she carried on the conversation by saying: "So for me change comes at the beginning of 2021 by leaving a familiar seat on @loosewomen . It wasn’t an easy decision, but one that I needed to make in order to grow myself in other ways."

She followed this by admitting: "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."

Nearly two thousand Loose Women fans liked her post, while many wished her well in her new venture. The news comes as fellow co-host Andrea Mclean left the show just before Christmas, after 13 years on the show.

Andrea's last show was emotional - with the star breaking down in front of her colleagues while they showed a compilation of her best bits of the years.