Loose Women star Kaye Adams recently admitted that she ‘spent years’ saying she was actually a decade younger than she is, fearing society tries to ‘write off’ older women

Kaye Adams admits she lied about her age(Image: ITV)

Former Loose Women panellist Carol McGiffin has branded co-star Kaye Adams’ decision to lie about her age as “tragic”. Kaye recently admitted she spent years telling everyone she was actually a decade younger than she is.

In a piece in the Daily Mail, Kaye, 62, said society tries to “write off” women once they reach a “certain age”. She admits that believed her behavior was “harmless” but concedes she had “fallen prey to society’s negative messages around older women”.

Kaye wrote: “Since my 30s I had dodged, deflected or outright lied when the subject came up – even to my own children, Charly, now 23, and Bonnie, 18. In fact, for years they believed I was a whole decade younger than I actually was.

“I’d never given Charly a specific date of birth, but I had claimed her dad – my partner Ian – was ten years my senior, when actually we were both born in 1962. Fortunately, Ian, who knew full well how old I am, is incredibly laid back and just shrugged off what could easily amount to an insult in some men’s eyes.”

Kaye says her deception came crashing down when, after an argument with a friend at school, Charly searched her on Google and discovered the truth. She admits it felt as though she had “crossed the line”.

Carol McGiffin branded Kaye Adams’ lie “tragic”(Image: ITV)

She added: “I’d always thought of myself as strong and forthright, yet I’d fallen prey to society’s negative messages around older women. And, worse, I’d perpetuated them to my own daughter.”

Now Carol, who had two stints on Loose Women, admits she knew her close friend’s real age. It comes as she branded the decision to lie about her real date of birth “a little bit tragic”.

Writing in Best magazine, Carol said: “In a confessional newspaper article, she says she did it because she thought, ‘youth was the only currency worth having’ and that she ‘fell prey to social conditioning’ although even she admits it was a little shallow.

Kaye Adams and Carol McGiffin

“A little bit tragic too, I think, because I had no idea she had such insecurities even though I’d known about the lie for a while, especially given that Kaye is one of the most confident people, professionally, I’ve ever met.”

Carol, 65, went on to joke that the only time she lies about her age is when she doesn’t fancy scrolling down to select 1960 on drop-down menus. Although she does say she used to try and get into discos as a teenager.

Carol however concedes that she doesn’t “enjoy being old” but doesn’t understand why people “fear” ageing. Instead she believes lying to make yourself seem younger is “a bit sad”.

She concludes: “Thank God Kaye has accepted that now, although she’s gone completely the other way and literally can’t stop going on about how happy she is to be sixty (something).”

As well as presenting Loose Women, Kaye also fronts the podcast How To Be 60.