Dame Kelly Holmes joins Loose Women after finding her ‘authentic voice’

Dame Kelly Holmes is embarking on a brand new chapter, joining the cast of Loose Women as a new panellist.

The multi-Olympic medal winner, who came out as gay earlier this year after hiding her sexuality for 34 years, explained that she will ‘join in on many conversations that I felt I never could before’.

The retired athlete also added that she’s up for ‘any mad experiences’ that come her way, and we can’t wait to see how she meshes with the other presenters on the ITV programme.

Speaking about her new role, Dame Kelly, 52, said: ‘I am extremely excited about joining Loose Women. 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 continued to The Sun: ‘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 national treasure outlined her the reaction to her documentary Kelly Holmes: Being Me, which aired over the summer, prompted her to explore the opportunity.

‘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,’ she said.

Dame Kelly will be joining the ranks of other Loose Women panellists, including Strictly Come Dancing 2022 star Kaye Adams, Charleen White, Judi Love, Denise Welch, Coleen Nolan and Janet Street-Porter.

The editor of the show, Sally Shelford, said she’s ‘thrilled’ to have a ‘national treasure’ joining the programme.

‘We are thrilled and honoured to have Dame Kelly Holmes join the Loose Women panel. She is a national treasure and an inspiration to us all,’ she said.

‘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.’

When she came out in June this year, Dame Kelly said it was time to be her ‘real self’.

‘I needed to do this now, for me. It was my decision. I’m nervous about saying it. I feel like I’m going to explode with excitement,’ she told the Sunday Mirror at the time.

‘Sometimes I cry with relief. The moment this comes out, I’m essentially getting rid of that fear.’

Loose Women airs weekdays from 12.30pm on ITV and ITV Hub.

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