It was a lunchtime chat that took an unexpectedly candid turn, leaving even the most seasoned panelists a little wide-eyed. On February 25, 2026, ITV’s Loose Women served up a conversation about intimacy, aging, and taboos—one that’s still making waves among viewers and fans of the show. The spark? A backstage exchange between panelist Nadia Sawalha and her co-star Frankie Bridge that challenged assumptions about sex, age, and what’s considered "normal" when it comes to later-life relationships.
Nadia Sawalha, 61, is no stranger to frank conversations. The former EastEnders actress and longtime Loose Women panelist has built her reputation on openness, especially about her personal life. But she admits even she was caught off guard when, during a morning meeting, Frankie Bridge—at 37, the youngest of the regular panel—bluntly asked, "Are you still having sex?" The question, as Sawalha recounted on air, left her “open-mouthed.” According to The Mirror, she told viewers, “People don't wanna think about people of a certain age having sex. Frankie Bridge did this to me. We were in the morning meeting, talking about sex and she was [shocked]. She asked me if I was still having sex. I was just [open-mouthed]! Out of all the meetings I've had on Loose Women, I'll never forget it. I was in that place once looking at older women like that but yet here I am.”
This wasn’t just idle gossip. The panel’s conversation was prompted by recent headlines featuring another beloved TV personality, Prue Leith. The 86-year-old chef and former Great British Bake Off judge has been refreshingly open about her own experiences, revealing that hormone replacement therapy (HRT)—including testosterone gel—has helped her maintain her libido well into her eighth decade. Leith, who married John Playfair in 2016, told Saga Magazine, “I asked a doctor, 'What's normal?' She said there are no studies because it's just imagined people my age don't. I don't think I'd be active in every sense without hormone replacement therapy (HRT).” She went on to say, “It's great for libido. You feel better and younger and…” The magazine noted she finished with a suggestive wink and broad grin.
Leith’s candor about using progesterone tablets, oestrogen patches, and testosterone gel as part of her HRT regimen has ignited a broader discussion about the realities—and myths—of sex, intimacy, and aging. She’s been prescribed HRT since her 40s, initially after a hysterectomy, and doesn’t plan to stop now, despite known links between HRT and breast cancer. “If I did stop, I’d face menopause symptoms in my 80s, and that would be horrendous,” Leith said, according to The Mirror. Her openness has provided a counterpoint to the persistent narrative that sexuality fades or becomes irrelevant as people get older.
Back in the Loose Women studio, the conversation among the panelists—Christine Lampard, 47; Penny Lancaster, 54; and Gloria Hunniford, 85, alongside Sawalha—quickly turned to the societal discomfort around discussing sex in later life. Penny Lancaster chimed in, “Well she's heard that rumour that when you hit menopause, it's all over... But it's not!” Nadia agreed, recalling her own surprise at how attitudes have shifted. “Yeah! I was so... [open-mouthed] I haven't got over it! Out of all the meetings I've ever had on Loose Women, I just couldn't believe that. Because I was in that place once as a little Loose Women, when I was looking at older Loose Women going 'Oh my god, they are having sex!' Yet here I am!”
Sawalha’s personal life has long been an open book, both on television and on social media. She’s been married to TV producer Mark Adderley since 2002, and the couple share two daughters, Maddie, 22, and Kiki-Bee, 19. Their relationship, by her own admission, hasn’t always been smooth sailing. On her and Mark’s podcast, Coffee Moaning, she recently revealed, “We've been close to divorce many, many, many times. We've been to marriage guidance counsellors, we've worked our a***s really to stay together.” She’s also shared stories about their early romance, including a memorable admission on Loose Women in 2016: “A few weeks later we were filming together on one particular location and he said, 'Shall we go to the bar’ and I said, 'Shall we just go straight upstairs because it’s going to be really embarrassing when I say can we go upstairs later.' I don’t know what overcame me, I am not that sort of person!”
For Sawalha, the ability to laugh, share, and be honest about the ups and downs of a long marriage is part of what keeps her relationship strong. “We've been together 14 years,” she once told the panel, though the couple have now been married for 23 years. The willingness to talk about everything—including the tough times—has become a hallmark of her public persona.
But it’s the taboo around older women’s sexuality that seems to strike a particular chord. Both Sawalha and Leith, in their own ways, are pushing back against the notion that intimacy and desire are reserved for the young. Leith’s use of HRT, including testosterone gel, is a practical example of how medical advances and open-minded attitudes can help people maintain a fulfilling sex life as they age. According to the NHS, hormone replacement therapy can indeed have side effects, and its risks and benefits should be carefully weighed. But Leith’s experience points to the importance of having honest conversations with healthcare professionals—and not simply accepting outdated stereotypes.
Meanwhile, Sawalha’s story about Frankie Bridge’s question serves as a gentle reminder of how even well-meaning curiosity can expose generational divides. Bridge, who wasn’t on the panel that day, represents a younger perspective—one that, perhaps, hasn’t yet had to confront the realities of aging or the persistence of desire. Sawalha’s reaction, though tinged with surprise, was also full of empathy: “I was in that place once looking at older women like that but yet here I am.”
These candid moments, broadcast to millions of viewers, do more than just entertain. They challenge us to rethink assumptions, to talk more openly about the things that matter as we age, and to recognize that intimacy doesn’t have an expiration date. Whether it’s a backstage quip, a public confession, or a wink from an octogenarian chef, the message is clear: life—and love—don’t stop at any particular age.
As the conversation continues both on and off screen, it’s evident that the stigma around later-life intimacy is slowly fading, thanks in part to women like Nadia Sawalha and Prue Leith who are willing to speak up, share their stories, and remind us all that curiosity, connection, and a little bit of spice are timeless.