LOOSE Women’s "cruel" mock trial between Coleen Nolan and Kim Woodburn did NOT break telly's strict rules, The Sun Online can reveal.
Watchdog Ofcom has ruled that the daytime show did not breach the guidelines that govern TV programmes – despite being bombarded with 7,911 complaints about the row.
They say that while Kim was left incredibly upset by the onslaught on the live show, she was also aggressive and defended herself at all times.
The hugely controversial showdown last year saw Kim, 76, face her old Celebrity Big Brother enemy Coleen, 53, on the programme in a bid to end their 18-month-long feud.
However, the feature – which was presided over by Janet Street-Porter dressed as a judge – ended prematurely when Kim stormed off the set in tears claiming she was cruelly "mocked" by Coleen and her sister Linda.
The How Clean Is Your House? star had begun crying while telling Coleen: "I had a very, very sad childhood. I had a brutal childhood."
But viewers heard Coleen whisper during the confession: "We got this every day as well. She's going to cry in a minute."
Coleen's sister Linda, 60, then cut in to say: "We know, we've heard it."
Kim later left the set yelling: "I wouldn't want to sit and talk with lying trash. She's a horrible person. You are trash, you're a piece of filth."
Speaking to The Sun Online she insisted: "I was ambushed, it was disgusting. It was like a circus and I was there for some cruel entertainment. I want Coleen and her sister fired."
Kim added: “I was shown cruelty again by that woman. I’m embarrassed once again. And I’ve cried on TV once again."
She also claimed she was ridiculed, saying: "They were sitting there mocking me. They had a horrible look on their face. When you can do that, the cruelty, God gracious I was very sad today.”
The ensuing controversy saw more than 25,000 people sign a petition calling for Coleen to be sacked from the show, accusing her of bullying Kim, and Ofcom deluged with 7,911 complaints.
The singer branded the row the "worst week of my life" after being beseiged by hate-filled messages on social media – and she did not appear on the show again for three months.
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She also postponed her first solo tour with trolls taunting her, saying: "Be a bully, face the consequences."
Coleen said at the time: "Anyone that knows me knows I’m not a bully. That would be the most hurtful thing people could call me.
"From the moment she arrived, it was clear Kim didn’t want to make up. Now I wish I could go back in time and not do it. It was ugly, upsetting and unpleasant for everyone."
However, the former pop star, a regular on Loose Women since 2000, recieved a standing ovation when she eventually returned to the panel in December.
Her feud with Kim dates back to their time on the tenth series of Celebrity Big Brother in 2017 – which Coleen won.
The pair had a big falling-out, with Kim accusing her of being "two-faced" after discovering Coleen had been talking about her behind her back.
Branding Coleen, who chain-smoked on the show, a "boring fag ash Lil" Kim said: "She shouldn't have won. I'm tired of all these Loose Women winning."
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