Loose Women row sparks over 3,000 complaints

The majority of the 3,297 complaints received by the broadcasting watchdog Ofcom related to the treatment of the 76-year-old, who stormed off the show on Wednesday.

A spokeswoman for the regulator said: “We are assessing these complaints against our broadcasting rules, before deciding whether or not to investigate.”

Woodburn appeared on the ITV show to face Coleen Nolan, 53, after the pair fell out while appearing in Celebrity Big Brother in 2017.

But viewers accused the show’s panellists, including Nolan, of “ganging up” on the former How Clean Is Your House? star.

@Dougquaid8 wrote on Twitter: “Well done for empowering women there, inviting 76-year-old Kim Woodburn on and calling her talentless, two family members and her friend ganging up on one person, making her cry.”

@LeighBryan wrote: “Ofcom I find the behaviour displayed by the hosts on Loose Women to be disgusting towards Kim Woodburn, especially while discussing mental health on the same show. Bullying a guest and discrediting her experiences with child abuse isn’t entertaining.”

Woodburn has accused Nolan, and some of the other housemates, of bullying her while in the Celebrity Big Brother house, while Nolan maintains that Woodburn was constantly argumentative.

During her appearance on Loose Women, Woodburn raised her voice and shouted at Nolan and the other panellists before storming off.

A spokeswoman for Woodburn told the Press Association: “When she arrived … Kim was briefed and told Coleen would speak first and give her reasons for their row.

“She was told Coleen wanted to bury the hatchet.

“However when Kim walked on set, Coleen refused to speak first and made Kim do all the talking.

“This left Kim on the spot and out of her depth.

“This incident has left Kim incredibly upset and she feels disappointed with what happened.”

Nolan said on Twitter that she had no choice on the show’s selection of guests and “she stayed as calm as possible whilst being insulted live on air which was incredibly unpleasant”.

Nolan had told Woodburn: “I didn’t tell you how vile you are from day one.

“That’s what I should have done.

“You’re a horrible, self-centred, publicity-seeking witch.”

Nolan’s sister and fellow panellist Linda Nolan said Woodburn only ever appears on TV because she is “controversial”, adding: “She’s got no talent.”

And Woodburn said of Nolan: “I’ll never forget what the likes of her and others put me through. Never. It was bloody cruel … I lose my temper but I’ve got a good heart and soul. She’s hard as nails …

“She’s a horrible person. She’s trash.”

ITV said in a statement: “Kim agreed to come on to the panel at the invitation of the producers on the understanding it was for a reconciliation with Coleen.

“Kim becoming upset was never the intention and the panel did endeavour to comfort her.

“She was offered counselling after the show, which she declined.”

Following Woodburn’s sudden exit, Nolan told viewers: “We have got members of our team with Kim backstage.

“We didn’t intend for it to actually end like that, we were hoping, actually, genuinely hoping, for some kind of reconciliation, but that wasn’t going to happen.”