© Photo: Getty ImagesThe Loose Women panellists might be best known for their brilliant wit and vivacious personalities while discussing important issues and interviewing famous faces, but did you know that several of them have had acting careers as well? From Linda Robson to Nadia Sawalha, here are the Loose Women acting roles that might surprise you!
Nadia Sawalha
Nadia is a hugely successful TV presenter, but her telly career began with acting! Nadia starred in EastEnders for two years from 1997 to 1999 as Annie Palmer before moving onto presenting work, but recently made her return to the world of acting by starring as Melanie, a "dodgy estate agent" in Benidorm for two episodes. Speaking about the role, she told the Daily Star: "It was brilliant, I can't believe I'm in Benidorm. It's 15 years since I have acted. I was terrified about remembering my lines, but somehow I did."
© Photo: Getty ImagesChristine Lampard
Christine might not have starred in any live-action TV shows or films (yet!), but the star has lent her voice the 2010 animation The Turtle's Tale: Sammy's Adventures as Sandra, and was also the voice of a newsreader in the 1998 film Divorcing Jack.
READ: Christine Lampard recalls the emotional moment she gave birth to baby Patricia
Speaking about her role as Sandra to The Fan Carpet, Christine said: "You blink and you might just miss my little bit, but for me it was quite a big deal, I'd never done anything like this before. I love my animated movies, so to see the behind the scenes of how it's all put together its quite extraordinary and exciting."
© Photo: RexBrenda Edwards
Brenda might be best known for her amazing voice (and ability to chat away on Loose Women), but the star has taken a turn on the West End – proving that she can act and dance as well as sing and chat! The star originally played Pearl in the show Carmen Jones, and was on the UK tour of We Will Rock You and Killer Queen – we wished we could have seen her in action!
© Photo: Getty ImagesLisa Riley
Lisa might be best known for her role as Mandy Dingle in Emmerdale, a role she played from 1995 to 2001 before reprising it in 2019, but the actress recently made waves due to her role in the harrowing BBC real-life drama, Three Girls. Her first acting role in three years, Lisa opened up about playing the part of Lorna Bowen, the mother of two victims of child abuse. Speaking on Loose Women about the story, she said: "It's important that we got a reaction. That's the main thing. It cocooned my life. And I got angry. The BBC took a chance – it could have gone one or two ways. The story was so true…I am so honoured to have been able to play the part of Lorna and give these girls a voice, because no one believed them. No one."
© Photo: Getty ImagesChizzy Akudolu
Chizzy is hilarious on our favourite panel show, but of course we know her first and foremost as Mo Effanga in Holby City, a role she originated in 2012.
READ: Chizzy Akudolu opens up about depression after Strictly exit: 'I hit a massive low'
Since then, Chizzy has gone on to have a seriously impressive filmography, and has also had guest appearances in Shakespeare & Hathaway - Private Investigators and Death in Paradise. Prior to landing her hit role in the hospital drama, Chizzy also had roles in Silent Witness and The Inbetweeners.
© Photo: Getty ImagesDenise Welch
Where to begin with Denise? She has had a hugely successful acting career – her appearances on Loose Women are just the tip of the iceberg in comparison! To name a few, Denise has starred in Byker Grove, Soldier Soldier, Boy Meets Girl and Waterloo Road, where she played Steph Haydock from 2006 to 2010. Her most recent role was in the 2019 film Burning Men, where she played Julie.
© Photo: Getty ImagesLinda Robson
Of course, before taking on the role as a regular panellist on Loose Women, Linda was best known for her role as Tracey Stubbs in the incredibly popular sitcom, Birds of a Feather. The series had a hugely successful run from 1989 to 1998 and was renewed for ITV from 2014. Although there were reports that the show had been cancelled, an ITV representative has since confirmed that the show is still going strong – lucky for Linda!
