Sir Ian McKellen set to join Loose Women Panel
Ian McKellen fears the return of Section 28 in the UK. (Getty Images)
The new feature, Loose Women & Men will air on ITV from Friday.
The makers of the daytime discussion show have announced plans to add men to the panel – with Ian McKellen, Peter Andre and Craig Revel Horwood set to become panellists.
The first Loose Women & Men is set to air this Friday and will become a regular feature if successful.
“Many of the male guests who come on the show believe they can give our panellists a run for their money,” the show’s editor Sally Shelford told The Mirror.
“Now we are giving them the chance to put their money where their mouth is and see whether they can hack it in the Loose Women hot seat.”
The report claims Andre and Revel Horwood will appear in the first addition, with other male celebrities set to become guest panellists in the future – including the McKellen, Piers Morgan and Paddy McGuinness.
Andre’s ex-wife Katie Price recently joined the Loose Women panel as a regular – after which she was accused of transphobia by another of her ex-husbands.
Alex Reid accused Price of ‘inciting hatred’ towards trans community after she shared details of their relationship during a discussion about Eddie Redmayne’s (or ‘Raymar’, as she called him) latest film, ‘The Danish Girl’.
Referencing her marriage to Reid – who has been known to dress as a female alter-ego, Roxanne – the reality star said she would not be surprised if her former husband came out as trans.
“If he does end up being a transgender then it wouldn’t surprise me,” she said.
“It’s hard for me to say why on daytime TV.”
The former cage-fighter reacted angrily to the segment, suggesting his ex-wife was irresponsible for making “uneducated” comments.
In December, a petition was launched against the show after the panel made a series of controversial statements regarding the trans community.
The ITV show launched into a discussion regarding trans issues – but quickly demonstrated a total lack of understanding regarding the subject.
