“I Never Thought I’d Say This On Air…” — Dr Hilary Jones Breaks Down Live As Britain Holds Its Breath.n

Dr Hilary Jones has revealed he is stepping away from Lorraine after an extraordinary 36 years on ITV, as sweeping broadcaster cuts begin to reshape the future of daytime television.

Dr Hilary Jones has revealed he is leaving Lorraine after 36 years amid the brutal ITV cuts (Seen in August)

The 72-year-old GP has been a familiar face to millions of viewers, appearing on the morning programme since its launch in 2010 — but now confirms that his final regular appearance will be on New Year’s Eve, after the show’s airtime was dramatically reduced.

The GP, 72, has been a regular feature on the morning show – which is facing the brunt of the broadcaster’s cuts announced in May – since its inception in 2010 (Seen with Lorraine in 2020)

Dr Hilary first broke into TV in 1989 as the resident doctor on TV-am before becoming the health and medical editor on GMTV from 1993. When GMTV was later replaced by Daybreak and then Lorraine, he remained a central part of the team — right up until ITV’s latest round of cost-cutting.

Earlier this year, ITV announced that Lorraine will now air for just 30 minutes a day, only 30 weeks of the year — with Good Morning Britain taking over the 9am–10am slot for the remaining 22 weeks.

Dr Hilary kick started his television career in 1989 as the TV-am doctor before featuring as the health and medical advisor on GMTV from 1993 (Seen in 1996)

Speaking to The Sun, Dr Hilary confirmed the decision to step back, explaining that from January he will become a “free agent”, though he may still return for occasional guest appearances.

“People are being very sensitive to the fact that some people are having to move on,” he said. “A lot of people are being redeployed elsewhere or staying in similar roles. ITV, like everyone else, are having to make changes.”

An ITV spokesperson added: “Dr Hilary remains a valued part of the team.”

It comes days after Lorraine Kelly broke her silence on ITV’s decision to slash her daytime show, insisting that despite the ‘heartbreaking’ cuts, she wasn’t going to quit anytime soon (Seen in February)

The news comes just days after Lorraine Kelly herself finally broke her silence on the brutal cuts, admitting that while she had an “inkling” changes were coming, the scale of the decision left her devastated for her team.

Under the new schedule, Lorraine will now present five days a week for the 30 weeks her show remains on air — meaning her usual Friday stand-ins Ranvir Singh and Christine Lampard are no longer required. The programme’s length has also been slashed in half, now running only from 9.30am to 10am.

Reports have suggested that of ITV’s 450 daytime staff, up to 220 jobs could be at risk — a figure Lorraine admitted had left her angry, though not for herself.

“I wasn’t annoyed or angry about this for me… it was about the team,” she said. “It’s heartbreaking to lose people you’ve grown up with and worked alongside for more than 20 years.”

Despite widespread speculation that she might also walk away, Lorraine insisted she has no plans to quit.

Pointing to Loose Women stars Janet Street Porter and Gloria Hunniford as inspirations, she added: “I’ll be toddling off that show in my Zimmer frame — and even then, I’ll still be coming in. I’m not going anywhere until people get fed up.”

For Dr Hilary, however, the curtain is finally closing — marking the end of a television era shaped by calm advice, steady reassurance and decades of service to British daytime TV.