LOOSE Women’s Nadia Sawalha appeared to snub her estranged sibling after she was revealed as The Masked Singer’s Bubble Tea.
The ITV panelist, 59, has been embroiled in a decades-long feud with her actress sibling in a spat which has been well-publicised.
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Their longstanding gripes again came to the fore this weekend when the Vera screen star was unmasked as the cute Bubble Tea character.
Julia, 55, was revealed as Owl was saved to sing another day.
Yet despite her smiles at concealing her identity – and a flurry of fan support on social media – one person who didn’t come out to back her was Nadia.
The ex EastEnders actress doesn’t follow Julia on Instagram, with Julia also failing to follow her, and Nadia last night failed to acknowledge her starring role on the hit ITV series.
Instead, she chose to take to her Instagram stories today to tag her Loose Women colleagues Kaye Adams and Jane Moore in a funny meme.
Nadia and Julia — along with their eldest sister Dina — grew up in Croydon, South London.
When Julia was born, Nadia was forced to live apart from her family, and she previously recalled feeling jealous of her younger sister’s bond with their parents.
She said: “When my mum had Julia, I was so excited I kept wanting to pick her up and cuddle her. My mum, who was a bit postnatal, got scared and sent me to her mother’s.
“Julia was a beautiful baby and everyone was crazy about her, so my sister Dina and I were a bit jealous.”
This spiralled into Nadia feeling like she was living under Julia’s shadow when she started on EastEnders.
Later, Nadia confessed: “I’ve never liked one of Julia’s boyfriends yet.”
Yet Julia has previously hit back, taking to X for a scathing post in which she wrote: “So tired of #nadiasawalha talking about our ‘stormy’ relationship which she created.
“I’ve kept my privacy for 6 years to protect my family, whilst she talks lies & rubbish.
“You have destroyed our family so don’t sit on TV with your fake tears to gain sympathy & attention.”
Julia continued: “Yes well it’s very difficult when you only see the story from one side.
“I’m not actually fighting, she is, but paints a very different picture publicly and I’ve had enough.”
Meanwhile, it was a happier time for Julia on last night’s show, where she was reunited with a former colleague.
The bright pink and yellow Bubble Tea was unmasked in front of stand-in judge Jennifer Saunders – who is Julia’s Absolutely Fabulous infamous co-star.
Julia played Jennifer’s character Edina’s on-screen daughter Saffy in the hilarious 90s comedy, but viewers are convinced her unveiling was not a coincidence.
As such, their joint appearance swiftly sparked a slew of “fix” rumours.
Yet eagle-eyed fans had already speculated Julia was the face behind the mask days ago – saying “all the signs are there.”
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Sophie Anderson, a UK-based writer, is your guide to the latest trends, viral sensations, and internet phenomena. With a finger on the pulse of digital culture, she explores what’s trending across social media and pop culture, keeping readers in the know about the latest online sensations.
