Andrea McLean says she 'needs to be brave' as she announces departure from Loose Women

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published 30 November 2020

TV presenter Andrea McLean has announced she will be leaving her presenting job on Loose Women at the end of the year.

She announced the news on today's Loose Women, after 13 years of appearing on the hit ITV panel show.

Andrea, 51, broke down as she told her friends and co-hosts including Saira Khan and Linda Robson, that she would be leaving the show at the end of the year. She said "I'm going to be leaving Loose Women because I want to be brave..."

The TV personality and Co- founder of This Girl Is On Fire, an online space supporting women in mind, body and business, went on to share exactly why she was leaving.

She said on the show: "Last year I had a nervous breakdown and this year the world has had a breakdown. This year I've been really mentally strong to deal with everything the pandemic has thrown at us.

"You get one life, are you living it the way you want? Are you being brave? Are you doing the thing you want?

She carried on with her speech saying: "All the incredible feedback that I had from my book and the support I was able to give them, I want to bring it to life. It was a really, really big decision to jump and see if I fall or if I fly. And I just thought, I will never know unless I try, so I am saying goodbye to Loose Women."

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Andrea, who joined the show in 2007, is leaving the show to work on other presenting projects and also concentrate on her online mentoring business, which she set up with her husband.

Her co-hosts were supportive of her decision, with Linda Robson saying: "I am going to miss you so much, Andrea. Honestly, you have been amazing and a real good friend to me. When I was going through my depression and everything, you were the one that was ringing all the time to see that I was okay."

While Saira said: "We are going to give you a massive send off so don't you worry."

The TV presenter also posted a video about her decision on her Instagram page, with fans supporting her move and wishing her luck.

Sarah is a freelance journalist - writing about the royals and celebrities for Woman & Home, fitness and beauty for the Evening Standard and how the world of work has changed due to the pandemic for the BBC.

She also covers a variety of other subjects and loves interviewing leaders and innovators in the beauty, travel and wellness worlds for numerous UK and overseas publications.

As a journalist, she has written thousands of profile pieces - interviewing CEOs, real-life case studies and celebrities - interviewing everyone from Emma Bunton to the founder of Headspace.