Loose Women star Kelle Bryan was bombarded with nasty racist abuse after taking part in the very first all-black panel in the ITV show's 21-year history.
Hollyoaks actress Kelle, 47, appeared on the panel alongside Charlene White, Judi Love and Brenda Edwards for the very first time at the height of the pandemic in October 2020.
The episode had been branded "refreshing and inspiring" by viewers and had even earned them an RTS Award for Daytime Programme.
However, unfortunately, the show's stars were also hit with nasty online comments afterwards.
Speaking to the Mirror at the British Soap Awards last weekend, Kelle said of the online reaction to the episode: "There were lots of positive comments [afterwards] but, unbelievably, there was lots of racism, lots of racist comments. Like, 'I switched off, who do they think they are?' 'As soon as I saw them...' There was still lots of that kind of stuff.
"We have a really good team at Loose who protect us from that and also the digital team are amazing at scanning and ensuring that we're as protected as possible. But it's still there, but that's what we're challenging. We're challenging old-fashioned, out-dated mindsets that need to be challenged.
"So if they come out of the woodworks, we can have a conversation and go, 'Really?! Why would you say that?' It wasn't even us that needed to jump on them - everybody else on Twitter was bashing them. So I was like, 'Oh, good luck with that!'"
Kelle also said that all of the panellists were incredibly emotional after the episode and "sobbed" after filming finished.
"Black Lives Matter has really forced people to look at themselves and the institutions and look at ways that we could improve," she explained. "I am quite forthright in what I say so whatever environment I'm in, if any kind of discrimination is going on, I will say.
"I am that kind of person. I like to give an institution or an organisation a chance to change because I think by having those conversations, that's what's important. Having those open conversations and hoping that people will hear you, listen and take those things on board.
"Winning RTS for the first ever all-black panel of Loose Women was incredible. It just felt like validation because we all sobbed at the end of the show, we were crying our eyes out when they were like, 'Three, two, one and we're off air!'
"We all just cried because it was such a monumental moment for all of us who have been in the industry for such a long time. So to have been able to achieve that, it made the world.'"
*Loose Women airs weekdays at 12.30pm on ITV
