There were awkward moments on the set of Loose Women when Linda Robson, during a discussion about the possibility of a holiday romance, declared: “I don’t want to meet anyone else.”
The Birds Of A Feather actress, 65, announced earlier this year that she had split from husband of 34 years Mark Dunford, explaining that the couple had “grown apart” after their children moved out.
On Thursday’s episode, the panel of Kaye Adams, Denise Welch, Nadia Sawalha and Linda delved into the topic of holiday scams. Host Kaye highlighted the worrying trend of people falling victim to scammers who feign love in order to gain financial gain.
However, Linda shocked the judges by saying: “I’ve never had a holiday romance, I’ve only ever had two partners.” Denise replied: “But you don’t want one, do you?” to which Linda simply replied: “No, I don’t want one.”
Nadia asked in astonishment: “Not even a kiss at the bar?” But the ITV star replied: “No, I kiss my grandchildren, that’s enough for me,” reports the Mirror.
Former Coronation Street star Denise then interjected: “The thing is, I know you don’t want a steady partner,” only to be interrupted by a giggling Linda: “You bought me a boyfriend, didn’t you?”
Amid loud gasps from the audience, Denise replied, “I bought you a little friend and she’s never taken it out of the box.”
Linda spoke openly about her feelings of isolation after her three children left the nest, admitting that she would feel “compassion” for those who are lured by the false promise of romance in a moment of loneliness.
When Denise continued to press the issue, Linda replied sharply, “I don’t want to meet anyone,” which abruptly ended the discussion.
The popular television star has faced many challenges and recently revealed her battle with alcoholism and obsessive compulsive disorder, which once drove her to suicide.
The mother of three sons spoke about the overwhelming “guilt” she felt as her family supported her while she struggled to maintain sobriety during the “worst time” of her life.
Linda, who is now sober, told OK! magazine that she and her ex-husband Mark had simply grown apart. According to her: “We grew apart. That happens sometimes, doesn’t it? We never had that much in common. I’m very outgoing. Mark never enjoyed that side of things.”
Despite the breakup, Linda spoke warmly about her ex, praising his qualities as a “wonderful father” and expressing her satisfaction with how they both coped with the separation.
The TV star said: “I was sad about it, of course. But we have two wonderful children together. They are all grown up and living their own lives now. Now it’s just me and the dog Dolly. (But) I’m doing really well. Work is good.”
Loose Women airs weekdays at 12:30pm on ITV1.