Loose Women ‘s Gloria Hunniford, 80, tore up her notes in anger during a row with fellow panelist Brenda Edwards over the Covid vaccine and the end of lockdown.
Rod Stewart’s wife Penny Lancaster was also embroiled in the on-air fight, ordering Brenda “calm down, darling” after they discussed the potential end of lockdown on 21 June being delayed.
Brenda said: “I think it’s crazy to ask us to stay inside in our country when you keep bringing people from outside countries, to bring these variants, all these different variants.”
Gloria argued: “Well that’s not totally fair, Brenda, it’s not.
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“People coming in from, for example, India – they are not allowed in at the moment.
“Borders have been closed to some countries. And in South America – so you can’t generalise that much.”
Brenda responded: “Gloria I’m talking about the fact that we opened and we opened holidays immediately.
“If anything, what they should have done is wait until 21 June and then see how the data is with other things in our country opening up before you start opening up and sending people to fly here, there and everywhere.”
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“You can’t have any control over people quarantining when they get back. So what it here? An Indian variant. An Australian variant.”
Penny then cut in: “Brenda, Brenda, Brenda, Brenda, calm down, darling.”
Brenda told her: “I’m very calm.”
In an attempt to end the argument, Gloria then tore up her notes, remarking: “”I think I’ll tear up the rest of my notes on that score. I think we’re done with that.”
(Image: ITV Loose Women)
Brenda, who is currently starring in Hairspray, spoke passionately about the effect of the pandemic on the hospitality and entertainment industry.
She said: “The hospitality and entertainment industries are the first ones to be affected, whether they are on-stage or whether they’re backstage, the crew.
“I know that [Gloria is] talking about getting the economy open, but I think if we do that, if we get the economy open on the 21st, then the hospitality and entertainment industry is going to once again be affected.
(Image: ITV Loose Women)
“And it’s not going to be good for morale in any shape or form.”
Penny interjected and said: “Girls, what about introducing the passport system where you can fill the capacity of theatres as long as you can prove that you’ve had both of your vaccines?”
Brenda responded that she said she knows a lot of theatres and producers who have paid a lot of money to follow government guidelines and didn’t believe that the vaccine would “change anything”.
She then criticised the Government opening borders, which had allowed the Indian variant to spread in the UK, which Gloria had claimed “wasn’t fair”.
* Loose Women airs weekdays on ITV at 12:30pm
Originally from https://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/loose-womens-gloria-hunniford-tears-24229990