Dame Kelly Holmes will join ITV's Loose Women as a full-time panelist later this month. The news comes after the 52-year-old Olympic legend announced that she was gay earlier this year. You can read more about that here.
The runner has revealed that she was inspired to join the show after the reaction to her emotional documentary Kelly Holmes: Being Me. After she came out as gay, an appearance that Dame Kelly made on Loose Women was praised by viewers.
Speaking to The Sun she said: "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."
Dame Kelly added: "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."
The athlete, who won the 800m and 1,500m titles at the 2004 Olympic Games, spoke openly about her sexuality for the first time in June as she declared that she "finally feels free" after years of living a "secret" life. In a post on Instagram, she revealed: "I have lived in fear for 34 years and I am exhausted and don’t want to anymore. I hope those that read my story will help me through this next scary phase but also be there for others."
Following the announcement that she'd be joining Loose Women, executive producer Sally Shelford said: "She is a national treasure and an inspiration to us all. We can’t wait to get her take on the topics of the day."
Loose Women airs on ITV on weekdays at 12.30pm. For more showbiz and television stories, get our newsletter here.
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