Kelly Holmes to join Loose Women after finding ‘my authentic voice’

Former athlete said her time on panel show would be full of ‘energy, smiles, tears and lots of laughs’

Kelly Holmes is joining the cast of Loose Women as a full-time panellist.

The former athlete’s first show will take place on Monday (12 September), just months after Holmes came out as gay.

Speaking to The Sun, Holmes said that she was “extremely excited” to appear on the show now that she had found her “authentic voice”.

“Having met a few of the panellists recently, I know that the shows will be full of energy, smiles, tears and lots of laughs,” she said.

“I hope I can bring my energy to the show and I will be up for doing any mad experiences that they throw at me.”

The TV personality admitted that she’d been inspired to join the panel following the release of her documentary Kelly Holmes: Being Me.

Holmes explained: “It will be so different to anything I have done before in my career, but now I have found my authentic voice since the airing of my documentary. I will join in on many conversations that I felt I never could before.”

Loose Women’s editor Sally Shelford said: “We are thrilled and honoured to have Dame Kelly Holmes join the Loose Women panel.

‘Loose Women’ panellists (PA Media)

“She is a national treasure and an inspiration to us all. We can’t wait to get her take on the topics of the day. Plus, she has already set us the challenge of taking her out of her comfort zone and putting her sense of adventure to the test.”

In June, Holmes spoke about her sexuality for the first time, explaining in an interview: “I needed to do this now, for me. It was my decision. I’m nervous about saying it. Sometimes I cry with relief. The moment this comes out, I’m essentially getting rid of that fear.”

During an appearance on This Morning the following week, she and Phillip Schofield cried together as they discussed the impact of having to hide their sexuality and how publicly coming out can help others.

Loose Women airs weekdays at 12.30pm on ITV.