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Coleen Nolan says she was branded 'too big for primetime' by TV boss

Coleen Nolan attends the Pride of Manchester Awards 2019 at Waterhouse Way on May 08, 2019 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Carla Speight/Getty Images)
Coleen Nolan attends the Pride of Manchester Awards 2019 at Waterhouse Way on May 08, 2019 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Carla Speight/Getty Images) (Carla Speight via Getty Images)

Coleen Nolan has said she was told by a TV boss that she was "too big" to present primetime TV.

The Loose Women star claimed she was advised to get a gastric band fitted in order to lose weight and that she had also been targeted over her age.

The 55-year-old revealed at online event A Girls Night In With Melanie Blake via The Sun: "I have had a head of a big TV company saying: ‘if you want to get in primetime television you should get a gastric band, you’re too big to present primetime.’

Read more: Pamela Anderson gives Loose Women interview from her bed

"I’ve had, 'Oh, you’re getting on a bit now, so maybe you’re not right for primetime.'

Coleen Nolan with Andrea McLean, Jane Moore and Stacey Solomon. (ITV)
Coleen Nolan with Andrea McLean, Jane Moore and Stacey Solomon. (ITV)

"And yet you see all these guys in primetime, some overweight, some certainly in their 60s and 70s. There don’t seem to be any women of a certain age or a certain size in primetime."

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Nolan opined that the situation was "better than it was years ago" but noted that daytime fixture Loose Women has a range of women presenting it, something that isn't seen on other shows.

The Nolans singer first made her appearance on the show back in 2000 and has been a regular panellist for most of the 21 years since.

Stacey Solomon, Saira Khan, Nadia Sawalha, Jane Moore and Coleen Nolan of Loose Women attend the National Television Awards held at The O2 Arena on January 22, 2019 in London, England.  (Photo by David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images)
Stacey Solomon, Saira Khan, Nadia Sawalha, Jane Moore and Coleen Nolan of Loose Women attend the National Television Awards held at The O2 Arena on January 22, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images) (David M. Benett via Getty Images)

Outside of the show, Nolan returned for another series of The Real Full Monty in December. The series sees celebrities strip off to highlight the importance of looking out for signs of cancer in the body.

Read more: Saira Khan receives threats after revealing she's not a practicing Muslim

Meanwhile, Loose Women has seen two of its panellists quit recently as long-time presenter Andrea McLean left in December and Saira Khan followed in January.

Khan said on Instagram at the time that she would like her “seat to be given to either a gay, transgender or non-binary person” to “help the show to be more reflective of the world we live in”.

Watch: Coleen Nolan opens up on cancer fears after sisters' diagnoses