Loose Women will air at the same time as usual but only for 30 weeks of the year. Following the announcement, it has been said that the panellists are ‘stressed and angry’
‘Terrified’ Loose Women stars ‘in state of panic’ after brutal ITV changes(Image: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock)
The Loose Women stars are said to be ‘in a state of panic and up in arms’ after it was revealed the ITV show will air beween 12.30pm and 1.30pm like usual but only for 30 weeks of the year like Lorraine.
ITV recently announced that Lorraine’s show will just air between 9.30 and 10am each day for 30 weeks of the year, in line with other seasonal presenters. As a result Good Morning Britain will be extended until 9.30am each day and when Lorraine is not on air, the show will be extended until 10am with This Morning airing after in its usual slot.
Loose Women will air at the same time but for only 30 weeks of the year
Meanwhile, Loose Women will air at the same time as usual but only for 30 weeks of the year. Following the announcement, it has been said that the panellists are ‘stressed and angry’ as the show makes up a huge part of their livelihoods.
“Ruth, Kaye, Nadia and Denise, in particular, have been reaching out to the production team in a panic and to express how angry they are that ITV had made this decision,” it has been said.
A source also claimed to MailOnline: “Loose Women and Lorraine dropping down in their schedule will badly affect Christine Lampard, she anchors for both shows so most of her yearly work is now at stake.”
Good Morning Britain will be extended until 9.30am each day and when Lorraine is not on air(Image: ITV)
According to the insider, the cast thinks the broadcaster could be letting go of key talent in favour of the younger stars.
They said: “Now, the show will air just 30 weeks a year, so a lot of people are going to lose their jobs. There won’t be enough shows to go around, so it means presenters who have been on the series for 25 years may be kicked off the panel.”
The Mirror have reached out to ITV for comment.
Kevin Lygo, Managing Director of ITV’s Media and Entertainment Division, explained of the huge changes: “Daytime is a really important part of what we do, and these scheduling and production changes will enable us to continue to deliver a schedule providing viewers with the news, debate and discussion they love from the presenters they know and trust as well generating savings which will allow us to reinvest across the programme budget in other genres.
“These changes also allow us to consolidate our news operations and expand our national, international and regional news output and to build upon our proud history of trusted journalism at a time when our viewers need accurate, unbiased news coverage more than ever. I recognise that our plans will have an impact on staff off screen in our Daytime production teams.”
He added: “We will work with ITV Studios and ITN as they manage these changes to produce the shows differently from next year, and support them through this transition.
“Daytime has been a core element of ITV’s schedule for over 40 years and these changes will set ITV up to continue to bring viewers award winning news, views and discussion as we enter our eighth decade.”
Most recently, ITV has introduced the Loose podcast, which will be returning later this year, and is an extension of the brand.