Olivia Attwood is said to be 'frustrated' after reports claimed that she was at the centre of a 'divide' among the Loose Women panellists - as the reality star is said to be on great terms with her co-stars
Olivia Attwood has become one of daytime TV’s most in-demand faces since making the transition from Love Island reality fame to the Loose Women panel. However, reports last week branded the 33-year-old a “diva” and claimed that she had ruffled feathers on the show by having her own “glam squad” rather than using ITV’s house hair and make-up team.
Now, a source claims that Olivia has been left annoyed by claims of tensions arising between her and the show’s other panellists – as she’s simply doing a job she loves with women she admires. “Olivia is frustrated that people are saying there’s a big divide. She has worked hard to get to where she is and has done well for herself, so something like this isn’t what she wants," they said.
The source continued, “She’s a lot younger than the other women and has had a different way into showbiz, but she really enjoys doing Loose Women and bonding with them all.”
Olivia rose to prominence on Love Island in 2017, where she coupled up with her co-star, ITV Racing presenter Chris Hughes, who is currently on Celebrity Big Brother. While things didn’t work out romantically for the pair, with Olivia going on to marry footballer Bradley Dack six years later, they both carved out successful careers in showbiz.
Today, Olivia is a presenter with several ITV documentary shows under her belt, she fronts the podcast Olivia Attwood’s So Wrong It’s Right and co-hosts a weekly KISS Radio show, alongside her pal, former TOWIE star, Pete Wicks.
She joined Loose Women as a regular panellist in August 2023, and told us last year she was loving her new gig on the beloved ITV chat show. “I get on with all of them really well, and some of them in particular I’ve become really friendly with. You never know what it’s going to be like joining a new workplace, it’s like being the new kid on the block,” Olivia said at the time.
“But they have welcomed me in and, at the start, were always checking on me during the ad breaks, they’d be asking if I was OK and if I had any questions.”
Olivia also told of her close relationship with the other women, “Linda [Robson] is hilarious. Any time I sit next to her, I’m gonna be laughing. Judi Love – hilarious. Nadia [Sawalha] and Kaye Adams – I absolutely adore them. And Denise [Welch], she just has the best stories ever.”
However, last week, a newspaper claimed that everything wasn’t as rosy as it seemed on the ITV show. The piece by The Mail On Sunday alleged that Olivia using her own glam team when she appears on the show – which includes make-up artist Mikey Phillips and hairdresser Mikey Dash – has created tension within the Loose Women group.
A source alleged to the publication, “That isn’t the done thing. ITV have their own brilliant people who get the women ready, so it is an issue that is much-discussed by some panellists. They say they haven’t seen anything like it before.
“There has been lots of talking behind her back. It all feels a bit mean. Surely Olivia can do what she likes? The others are baffled by it, maybe a bit jealous. It has been the subject of sniping.”
This is something Olivia never imagined would be an issue, claims our source, as they admit the headlines surrounding the drama have left the star irritated.
“Her glam team wasn’t ever anything she thought would be an issue, it’s just the norm for her and it’s never seemed to be a problem. For Olivia, it’s not nice that this is how it’s coming across and she doesn’t want it impacting the positive bonds she has on the show,” they said.
Although Loose Women has often come under fire for its rumoured feuds among the cast, a separate source close to Olivia has entirely refuted that. They told us, “Olivia does have her own glam team on Loose Women, which she pays for herself, as do many of the other women on the show, like Frankie Bridge and Katie Piper. It’s really not uncommon.
“They are all grown women and they know how the industry works, there’s no malice between them, despite what some of the stories say. Olivia is professional and has been around long enough not to let the chatter and noise get to her though.”
A source close to the show added, “This is nothing new. Loose Women have a brilliant hair and make-up crew that the ladies enjoy working with but some just stick with, and pay for, their own teams that they’ve always used.”
