Loose Women is set to honour the beloved late panelist Lynda Bellingham OBE with a special tribute next week, marking the 10th anniversary of her untimely passing.
The esteemed actress and TV personality passed away on October 19, 2014, with her loving husband Michael by her side, after a battle with colorectal cancer.
Lynda became a part of Loose Women on April 10, 2007, sharing the screen with Carol McGiffin and Coleen Nolan, and was a fixture on the programme until 2011. She graced the show over 300 times, including one final appearance in 2014, just before she sadly died.
The show previously aired two dedicated editions in remembrance of Lynda following her death, and Kaye Adams confirmed on Friday (October 11) that Loose Women will be paying homage to their former colleague this coming Wednesday with a dedicated show.
During a chat with actress Julie Graham about her latest television endeavours, they fondly recalled working with the “brilliant” Lynda, leading Kaye to announce to viewers that further remembrance is planned for next week’s show which will include some of Lyndas family members, reports the Mirror.
This touching gesture follows Jane McDonald, another former Loose Women star, sentimentally reflecting that she feels Lynda continues to influence her life in certain ways. The singer and TV personality, Jane, aged 61, who co-starred on Loose Women with Lynda between 2004 and 2010, shared how Lynda had been instrumental in providing other opportunities throughout her career.
They shared a close bond up until Lynda’s heartbreaking death. Jane expressed deep gratitude for her late colleague saying: “I owe such a lot to Lynda because she asked me to take over her Birmingham panto for that year when she was poorly.
“Thank goodness I did because through that I got Cats[Musical she appeared on stage in 2015], then through Cats and getting the vocal training that I did, that’s when my voice changed, and I went on to be able to sing just about anything – that’s all through Lynda.”
Continuing with fond memories, Jane added: “So I still think Lynda’s guiding us all in our own ways. Her and I became really, really good friends over the years of Loose Women. I’ll always be grateful to Lynda for guiding me a little bit because she was the first person that interviewed Ed for the job as my boyfriend. She says I need to see this guy, and the first thing she said to him, what are your intentions to my friend?”.
Loose Women airs weekdays on ITV1 and ITVX at 12.30pm