Loose Women viewers have announced that they are in love with new panellist Shani Dhanda, and have demanded that ITV make her a regular addition to the panel.
Shani, 34, is an award-winning disability activist and was a co-panellist on today’s edition (Friday, December 3) of the show.
Who is Shani Dhanda?
The Loose Women were joined by a newcomer today, and fans of the show fell in love almost instantly. The newcomer in question was Shani Dhanda, who was named in the BBC’s 100 Women in 2020.
Shani was recognised as one of the most influential disabled people in the UK by the Shaw Trust Power List last year too.
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Shani founded the Asian Disability network, and she also helped organise the first-ever Asian Woman Festival in Britain in 2019.
The activist was diagnosed with Brittle Bone Disease when she was two years old. This means that her bones break easily, even when no trauma has happened.
What did Shani and the Loose Women discuss on today’s show?
Shani joined Nadia Sawalha, Linda Robson, and Kaye Adams on the Loose Women panel on today’s show. During a discussion on whether there was a strength in saying “no”, Shani spoke about some of her own experiences.
“In my household growing up, the words ‘I can’t’, it was banned,” Shani explained. “Because my mum wanted to instill in me that the world’s a bit different, I’m going to have to find different ways of doing things.”
“I used to spend a lot of time breaking my bones due to my conditions, I’d spend a lot of time in plaster, recovering,” she explained. “But my mum would give me chores to do, she’d say ‘don’t think you’re getting away with it’, and I really value that she instilled that.”
What did Loose Women fans say about Shani?
Shani clearly made an instant impact with many of the viewers watching the show.
Plenty of fans of the show headed over to Twitter to sing the 34-year-old’s praises after her appearance on the show.
One said: “Lovely to see Shani again on #LooseWomen, hope she comes back soon to become part of the Loose Women team.”
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“Love Shani,” another viewer said. “Very sweet, pleasant, and natural. Love to see more of her.”
“This is officially a Shani Dhanda stan account now,” a third fan wrote after the activist’s appearance on the show.
“What a fabulous lady Shani Dhanda is,” another fan of Loose Women tweeted the star. “Love her views & I’ve learnt a few things today. Hope to see you again on Loose Women.”
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