Britain’s Got Talent thrown into ‘fakery row’ as fans accuse dangerous act of being staged

Britain’s Got Talent has sparked a ‘fakery row’ after Simon Cowell was left fearing for his life during a dramatic audition.

Britain’s Got Talent has found itself at the heart of a ‘fakery row’ after Simon Cowell was left ‘fearing for his life’ during a bizarre audition.

Producers intervened when contestant Kranthi Drillman, wielding a sledgehammer, ignored Simon’s desperate pleas to stop. Kranthi had instructed Simon to lie on stage in an angel position, surrounding him with watermelons and coconuts. He then blindfolded himself and began smashing the fruit wildly, continuing even when the audience appeared uncomfortable.

Simon later admitted he was genuinely worried for his safety during the act. However, many BGT viewers accused Kranthi of faking his intense performance. Fans claim to have spotted the secret behind his act, suggesting that his blindfold was actually see-through. One user wrote on X, formerly Twitter : “Obviously see through the blindfold.” Whilst another echoed: “He could obviously see through the scarf and he thinks he’s won.”

Britain’s Got Talent has sparked a ‘fakery row’ after Simon Cowell was left fearing for his life during a dramatic audition ( 
Image:
ITV)
A third penned: “You can tell the coconuts and the watermelons have been weakened and you could tell he could clearly see what he was doing when Simon was laid down.” A fourth wrote: “There is no way that hammer swinging idiot could not see.” Whilst a fifth said: “What a load of b******s! If that yoga teacher was totally blindfolded he wouldn’t hit a coconut or watermelon every single time with 100% accuracy.” A sixth said: “Yeah. He could see through the blindfold. Idiots, these people.” One eagled eyed viewer claimed that Kranthi locked eyes with a crew member penning: “For anybody wondering if he could see through the blindfold or not (fairly obvious though) take a look at the end when the stagehand puts his hand up in front of his face to tell him to stop.

During the dangerous act, Simon, who was advised to stay still, didn’t listen and moved around, making the move extra risky. Alesha Dixon, 46, and Amanda Holden, 54, were keen for the act to stop as the sledgehammer landed centimetres from Simon’s face. “I genuinely thought my days were numbered,” admitted Simon.

Producers intervened when contestant Kranthi Drillman, wielding a sledgehammer, ignored Simon’s desperate pleas to stop ( 
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IT“The producers on this show just love my pain! There was one point, and I’m not lying, I genuinely thought, ‘That’s it. It’s over’. A guy nearly smashed my head in with a sledgehammer. He was slipping all over the place and sweating so much. That’s what freaked me out because when I got up close, I thought, ‘My god, his adrenaline’s on such a high, I shouldn’t be doing this’.”

He continued: “Amanda and Alesha were not happy. When I looked at them, they were really worried. I don’t want to push my luck, I did say at one point that I think I’m running out of lives here.” Kranthi is an Indian adventurer who has the Guinness World Record for stopping the most number of fans with his tongue, with 57

After Dame Mary Berry and Dame Prue Leith comes Lady Caroline Waldegrave, who Hollywood says trumps her predecessors

Paul Hollywood has hailed new Bake Off judge Caroline Waldegrave as better than both Dame Mary Berry and Dame Prue Leith – because she’s a Lady.

And the master baker, who was joined by Caroline for the celebrity version of the series for Stand Up to Cancer, has now set his sights on royalty. Paul said: “We have a Lady, so she’s played the trump card from the off. From an aristocracy point of view, she’s beaten the other two.

“I’d like to see William and Kate going in after what Kate’s been through with cancer. It’d be lovely to get them. I’d love to see Princess Anne, too. I know she enjoys eating the bakes, she’d be brilliant. I’d love to see a royal or two come into the tent. That would mean a lot to a lot of people. We’ve had Dames, Ladies… That’s the next level, isn’t it? You go: Dame, Dame, Lady, Royal.”

Paul Hollywood is thrilled to have a ‘Lady’ on the programme and now wants to bag a royal ( 
Image:
Mark Bourdillon)
Caroline, whose full title is Lady Waldegrave of North Hill, has taught at Leith’s School of Food and Wine and Dudwell Cookery School for the past 40 years. Paul said she’d fitted in straight away. “Initially, there were nerves – but Caroline’s knowledge is unsurpassable. Within the first couple of hours, she’d settled right in. She was chatty and friendly and we got on straight away.

Caroline, 72, admitted that her first television experience was nerve-wracking. “I was completely terrified,” she laughed. “I was fine on the critiquing. I was just scared of getting it wrong in terms of how to present myself. Paul was incredibly kind and put me at ease right away. He told me to just be myself. It was great fun – I really loved it.” The mother of four – and grandmother of nine – says she doesn’t think that people will now recognise her in the supermarket. “I had so much make-up on, I don’t know that they would, I look completely different.” And she insisted: “Prue is still the Bake Off lady.”

Paul, Caroline and Alison have a chat with contestant Rosie Ramsey
Presenter Alison Hammond said she’d very much enjoyed working on the show with the new judge. “Prue was telling us how amazing she was, so we were really excited about meeting her and she was lovely – an absolute breath of fresh air. Most of the jokes go over her head. She’s quite innocent. I found that endearing. Caroline got on really well with the bakers. I don’t think she’s as strict as Paul. She’s a lovely addition to the family.”

Alison said the first episode, featuring family members, was an eye-opener – with husband and wife Chris and Rosie Ramsey and brother-sister due Scarlette and Stuart Douglas. “That was a really different dynamic. I’ve never seen so much banter in all my days. And it wasn’t necessarily nice banter, you know? It was arguments. There was a lot of bickering, a lot of shouting across the benches, a lot of sabotage. It was exciting. I couldn’t get a word in edgeways – unusual for me.”

The first episode on Sunday pitches Chris Ramsey into battle with his wife Rosie plus brother and sister property presenters Scarlette and Stuart DouglasAlison has told how her niece Jasmine, 13, was undergoing cancer treatment while the series was being filmed last summer. She explained: “She’s totally in remission now and doing really well. Her hair is growing back. It’s lovely, actually. She came over for Christmas and looked so, so well. It brings it home that raising funds for research is the reason people like her are here. It makes it more poignant.

“Cancer touches everybody, doesn’t it? It’s obviously touched my life, so I love doing the Stand Up to Cancer episodes. There’s so much meaning behind it.” Among the contestants to take part this year, Sarah Beeny is a breast cancer survivor while Meera Syal’s late mother had breast cancer earlier in her life, Maxine Peake lost her mum to pancreatic cancer and Gloria Hunniford lost her daughter Caron Keating to breast cancer.

Maura Higgins and Danny Jones were looking very cosy at the BRITs after party after spending hours sitting in a booth together, before reportedly sharing a kiss.

Maura Higgins and Danny Jones spent the BRITs Universal afterparty looking very cosy for several hours before their kiss at the bash, Mirror can reveal. The I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! co-stars were seen seemingly sharing a short kiss in a clip from the party, which was held at 180 Studios on The Strand. Footage obtained by The Sun appears to show 38-year-old Danny – who has been married to Georgia Horsley since 2014 – kissing Maura, 34, on the lips while they engaged in conversation.

When we walked into the afterparty, Maura’s former flame Pete Wicks was on his way out – making an early exit with pal Olivia Attwood as they seemed to be getting an early night. But Maura was only just beginning her night as she sat down in a booth table with Danny, another female friend and Oti Mabuse, who was coming and going from the table.

Maura attended the Universal Music BRITs after party, changing her outfit from the ceremony ( 
Image:
Dave Benett/Getty Images for Uni)

While Danny had planned to spend the evening with his McFly bandmate Tom Fletcher as the pair went to the ceremony together ( 
Image:
Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)
Maura and Danny were sitting in the booth together for most of the night, they were laughing and chatting and seemed really cosy for hours. Some other people gathered around the table to chat but they didn’t really move from that spot and weren’t dancing much, they were clearly comfortable. Danny occasionally walked the room with Tom Fletcher, but he kept coming back to Maura.

Maura went to the after party after spending the night at the BRITs ceremony, where she was sat at the same table as Jamie Laing and Sophie Habboo. There was only one table in between Maura and Pete, but the pair didn’t go near one another. While Danny was a few tables away with McFly bandmate Tom.

Danny has been married to Georgia Horsley for 11 years and shares soon Cooper with the model ( 
Image:
ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

As the clip of Maura and Danny seemingly sharing a kiss was shared, a source told The Sun that they “seem to have a close friendship” after meeting on ITV ‘s I’m A Celebrity last year – which Danny won – and were “talking and laughing for ages”. A source also told the outlet that he appeared to be giving Maura advice and put his arm around her shoulder at one point. They added that she also laid her head on his shoulder as they talked with pals.

Danny has been married to Georgia since 2014, and the couple share a seven-year-old son, Cooper. Mirror has reached out to Danny and Maura’s reps for comment.

This Morning fans have been quick to point out how today’s phone-in on the show related to Danny Jones’ kiss with Maura Higgins, with presenter Cat Deeley referring to the scandal

This Morning viewers have taken to social media to highlight how today’s phone-in was secretly a reference to Danny Jones and Maura Higgins’ recent kiss scandal.

Today’s show saw hosts Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley invite viewers to call in to give their thoughts on whether a drunken kiss counts as cheating, with Cat noting that the topic had been “in the headlines” a lot recently.

“Now here’s a question for you – does a drunken kiss on a night out count as cheating on a partner?” Ben told the camera. Cat added: “Lots of headlines in the news about this right now but are you grappling with the issue in your own relationship? If you are, Dr. Linda is here to help.”

Danny Jones has been making headlines recently after being spotted kissing Maura Higgins despite being married ( 
Image:
Mike Marsland/WireImage)
As for who should ring in, therapist Dr. Linda Papadopoulos said: “Today I want to hear from anyone who is on either side of this issue. Maybe you suspect your partner of cheating, maybe you found out that they’re cheating and you’re being pressured to leave them and you actually feel it’s something that you can work through

“Maybe you have done the cheating and you want to come clean. Whatever the case is, I know this is a complex area but it’s one that’s underdiscussed so please give us a call and we’ll speak about it and hopefully get you some good advice on how to cope.”

Viewers were quick to point out how This Morning appeared to be referencing the scandal surrounding Danny Jones’ kiss with Maura Higgins, which was caught on camera at a BRITs afterparty earlier this month.

“Love how This Morning are talking about Danny Jones and Maura Higgins, without mentioning their names about that ‘drunken kiss’,” one viewer wrote. Another said: “I’m expecting Danny Jones to call in to this phone in @thismorning #ThisMorning.

Danny, who is married to Georgia Horsley, made his first TV appearance last week following the scandal in a pre-recorded episode of The One Show. The McFly singer appeared alongside bandmate Tom Fletcher to announce one of the winners of the show’s 500 Words competition.

Meanwhile, a source recently told The Mirror that Danny needs to address his kiss with Maura after keeping his head down over the past few weeks. Another video had emerged of the pair enjoying a wild night of drinking at swanky Nobu Hotel in London until 6am.

BBC Radio presenter and I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! star Melvin Odoom has delighted his fans by sharing a snap alongside his biggest celebrity crush, Carol Vorderman

Melvin Odoom is over the moon after finally securing a “date” with his crush, Carol Vorderman.

The I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! star, 44, took to Instagram on Sunday to share a sweet snap of himself and former Countdown star Carol, 64. The photos saw Melvin cosy up to Carol for the long-awaited meeting, and the BBC Radio 1 host couldn’t look any happier

“Dreamed it then real lifed it” he captioned the post and it didn’t take long for his fans to rush to the comments to share their support. “The king of manifesting. We need the tea,” one wrote.

“The selfies we’ve all been waiting for. Vodderzzz,” another quipped. While someone else added: “And the crowd stood up and cheered.” And someone else gushed: “Man like Melvin making manifestations happen! I hope you didn’t just get a couple of selfies and that you two now can build on a blossoming friendship. Your looking good bruv and VERY happy

Melvin said that he’s made his manifestations come true ( 
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melvinodoom/Instagram)

Carol is Melvin’s biggest celebrity crush ( 
Image:
Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)

Melvin revealed his admiration for Carol while in the I’m A Celebrity jungle, picking a pillow with the former Countdown host printed on it as his luxury item. Although months have gone by since he publicly stated his love for Carol, Melvin made it clear that she hasn’t brushed him off yet, and that he had a master plan to finally secure a date.

Speaking to the Mirror at the TV Choice Awards, Melvin blasted claims that Carol had “ghosted” him on Instagram. “She didn’t ghost me! I don’t know where this – she just hasn’t read my message yet! There’s this rumour going around that she ghosted me,” he jokingly protested. The DJ then gushed over Carol, and shared that he had complete faith she’d get in touch with him when the time’s right.

“Carol’s a lovely lady. I just want to put that in black and white right now. She is a wonderful lady, she’s hardworking, and she’s busy out here trying to look after people and take care of them,” he said. “She ain’t got time to look at my DMs every five seconds! So when she sees it, I’m sure she’ll read it… when she’s ready

Melvin told his campmates about his admiration and attraction for Carol ( 
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ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

While Carol hadn’t read Melvin’s message, she did send him a message of her own while he was still in Australia. The Cambridge graduate appeared on I’m a Celebrity… Unpacked, and sent a voice note to Melvin. “Melvin, I’m blushing redder than that leather red dress I’m wearing on your pillowcase. But I’ll be rooting for you all the way through, and see you on the other side,” she teased.

Aside from his major crush on Carol, Melvin has always kept his private life private. However, he revealed that he’s open to love wherever he might find it. In a YouTube interview last year, he said: “Dating is hard. For me, don’t shut yourself off from anything because your potential partner could be anywhere. You have to chill and go with the flow, you can’t control love.”

Coleen Nolan has been left in floods of tears as ITV’s Loose Women surprised her with a cameo from her three kids as the ITV chat show celebrated her 60th birthday

Coleen Nolan has burst into tears during today’s episode of Loose Women, after being surprised by her kids on the ITV show.

The TV personality turns 60 on Wednesday, however her fellow co-stars celebrated her milestone birthday today by sneaking her three kids into the studio audience. However, Coleen shared how it had been the “worst day of [her] life” up until that point, having been kept in her dressing room all morning and blindfolded.

Today’s episode saw a blindfolded Coleen led onto the Loose Women studio floor, where she was surprised by her sons Jake Roche, Shane Nolan and Ciara Fensome. Coleen revealed that it was the first time that all her kids had been in the Loose Women studio together.

“Oh my God!” Coleen said through tears as she hugged her kids. “Is this why I’ve been kept prisoner all day? So far, I’ve had the worst day of my life. They literally locked me in the dressing room. ‘Can I go to the toilet?’ ‘No.’” When asked whether it was a surprise, she said: “Was it a genuine surprise? Are you mad? No, I always cry like this.”

Meanwhile, Strictly Come Dancing’s Pete Wicks – who took part in the Real Full Monty with Coleen – sent in a birthday message via video. “Just a quick message to say happy birthday Coleen – I hope you have a fabulous day,” he said. “Who’d have thought a couple of years ago when you saw me naked, we would become such great friends? I hope you the best day, my love. I hope to see you soon.” After the video played, Coleen said: “We genuinely became best friends from that.”

Coleen Nolan’s three children Jake Roche, Shane Nolan and Ciara Fensome were in the Loose Women studio to celebrate her birthday today
During today’s episode of Loose Women, Coleen and Maureen Nolan, 70, were emotional talking about their family following the loss of their late sister Linda Nolan, who, aged 65, passed away two months ago after having previously been diagnosed with cancer. Asked the importance of being together after a difficult few months, Maureen said: “Absolutely everything, yeah.”

Coleen said in the scene: “I think it’s made us appreciate that we need to make more of an effort, really, to be together.” Maureen said: “That’s what it’s all about now more than anything.” Emotional Coleen added: “Yeah, it’s been hard.”

Earlier this week, a source close to Coleen exclusively told The Mirror that the Loose Women star will be putting on a brave face for her birthday after the tragic passing of her older sister Linda. The source said: “This is a milestone birthday for Coleen, but she is still, of course, going to be thinking about her sister

They added by telling us that the special occasion would be “bittersweet” for Coleen. The source said: “Coleen is still very, very sad about losing Linda, so it’s a very bittersweet moment. It’s heart-breaking that Linda won’t be there.”

At the weekend, Coleen paid tribute to Linda on International Women’s Day, writing on Instagram: “Happy International Women’s Day to all the amazing women in my life and to every other woman! Here’s to lifting each other up and celebrating our power.

Kaye Adams made the announcement at the end of Monday’s edition of the ITV series which celebrated Coleen Nolan’s 60th birthday

Loose Women’s Kaye Adams made a surprise announcement at the end of the show as she revealed that the hit show has been pulled from the TV schedule.

During Monday’s (March 10) episode of the ITV programme Kaye and her fellow co-stars Jane Moore, Judi Love and Coleen Nolan returned to our screens for a jam-packed show celebrating Coleen’s 60th birthday.

However at the end, Kaye surprised viewers as she announced that the show will not air for the rest of this week and the channel will instead broadcast racing from the Cheltenham Festival.

Kate started off by saying: “That is it for today. Thank you to all of your loved ones and Brenda (Lewis) for flying in from your holiday this morning and most of all to Coleen.”

Kaye Adams made a surprise announcement at the end of the show ( 
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ITV)

She then announced: “We are off for the rest of the week sadly but we will be back next Wednesday but for now a very very happy 60th to the wonderful Coleen Nolan.”

Elsewhere in the show, Coleen was overcome with emotions as her friend and family inducing her three children surprised her in the Loose studio to mark a special milestone.

Coleen, who will celebrate her birthday on March 12, arrived at the studio with an eye mask and Air Pods in her ears so that she had no idea what was going on.

Coleen was overcome with emotions as her friend and family surprised her ( 
Image:
ITV)
The moment proved to be overwhelming for Coleen as she burst into tears as she revealed that it was the first time that all three of her kids Jake, 32, Shane, 36, and Ciara, 24, had been there at the same time.

Coleen shares her two sons with ex husband Shane Richie, 60, who she was married to between 1990 and 1999. Her daughter Ciara is from her marriage to Ray Fensome.

The surprises didn’t stop there as she was sent a sweet message from former Strictly Come Dancing star Pete Wicks. The duo became good friends after taking part in the Real Full Monty together.

Later on her rarely seen brothers Brian and Tommy made an appearance live in the Loose studio as well as her sister Maureen Nolan and yet again Coleen burst into tears.

Loose Women airs weekdays from 12.30pm on ITV and ITVX

Loose Women star Nadia Sawalha apologised to Christine Lampard before sharing the humorous reason why Frank Lampard would be her husband of choice

Nadia Sawalha has revealed she prefers her Loose Women co-star Christine Lampard’s wedding ring to her own, and is often “distracted” by the eye-grabbing sparkler.

On the latest instalment of ‘Loose Women—The Podcast,’ which focused on body confidence, loveless marriages and husband’s crushes, Nadia and her co-star Judi Love shared their honest thoughts

During the podcast, Judi relayed a question from a listener named Mary, who was curious to know which co-star’s husband they would each marry if they had to choose.

Before revealing her answer, Nadia apologised to Christine in advance, then humorously confessed that it’s not Frank Lampard she covets, but rather the stunning ring he gave to Christine.

She confessed: “I’m sorry. Maybe I shouldn’t say this. Okay, Christine Lampard’s ring is really, really nice and my ring is not. That ring. I mean, honestly…sometimes, it distracts me.”

Nadia gave a hilarious response that emphasised an object that Christine owns ( 
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Getty Images Europe)
Her co-star weighed in, adding: “Babes, I can’t, like… it does get me and Frankie’s [Bridge], yeah.”

Nadia quipped in response: “So, what is the name of our husbands again? But the ring.”

Judi continued, giving a nod to Frank’s good taste: “The ring; the ring is the one. He is lovely, though.

Frank tied the knot with Christine in 2015, six years after they crossed paths at the Pride of Britain Awards.

The couple share two children, Patricia and Freddie, while Frank also has two daughters from a previous relationship.

Their romance, however, had a somewhat “awkward” beginning.

Previously speaking on Loose Women, Christine said that Frank initially impressed her by claiming he watched her on The One Show and even remembered the guest from the night before.

“There was an awkward introduction at the party afterwards,” she added. “I just laughed and we both giggled about it. Then that was it. He somehow got my number, and I had a withheld number call my phone on the way home. I picked up and it was him.

“I said ‘Wow, you’re keen!’ as a bit of a joke, and we chatted, and he said he enjoyed meeting me and would like to stay in touch. It was very relaxed.”

Nadia married Mark Adderley back in 2002 ( 
Image:
SOPA Images/LightRocket via Gett)
Meanwhile, Nadia tied the knot with Mark Adderley back in 2002 while expecting their daughter, Maddie. In 2024, she candidly spoke to Hello! about her husband’s battle with bipolar II disorder and depression.

“It breaks my heart when he tells me how sad he is because I adore him and it feels so unfair. But it’s also much better in the long run to know the truth,” Nadia expressed.

On Instagram, Mark has shared insights into his battle with alcohol abuse and his mental health struggles before getting sober. He shared a photo of himself with Maddie alongside the caption: “This was me at my most chaotic, out of control and sad.”

Nadia replied to her film producer husband, saying she was “so proud” of him. She added that he’s a “f***ing incredible husband and father” and that she would love him “now and beyond this mortal world.”

Stacey Solomon is currently on a break from ITV show Loose Women, as she prepares to give fans a personal insight into her home life with Joe Swash and her five children

Stacey Solomon’s Loose Women co-star has issued a response about the panellist’s success, amid her break from the ITV show.

Stacey, who first captured hearts on the X Factor with her singing talent and charming personality, is thought to be worth around £6million, due to her diversified career.

Her ventures have so far included; a book, fronting her award-winning show Sort Your Life Out, owning a brand, and securing numerous partnerships due to her social media popularity.Katie Hind from the Daily Mail says while Stacey may come across as having a “ditzy demeanour”, she has a “clever and tough” business approach

Furthermore, an unnamed colleague from Loose Women told the journalist that the 35-year-old star is “not to be messed with”.

Amid her break from Loose Women, Stacey is set to launch her brand new reality series in which fans can expect to see more of her personality.

Fans are already familiar with her life, which includes her various work projects all while mothering five children and being a wife to Joe Swash.

Stacey and her husband Joe Swash have a new show in the pipeline ( 
Image:
Kate Green/Getty Images)
According to Stacey, viewers will get to see a “different side to our family’s fun and chaos” in the new series

Announcing their new venture in a statement, she expressed enthusiasm for the year 2024, when she and Joe embarked on different projects.

She added: “It’s been so amazing and nerve-wracking all at the same time… And we just want to keep doing that in 2025, starting with Stacey & Joe!

“Working with the BBC and Optomen on Sort Your Life Out has been a dream come true, so this team just made sense.”

The presenter further revealed that the six-part series is set to air later this year, however a date is yet to be announced

Joe chimed in: “We’ve been doing our best to keep this under wraps but we’re so glad we can finally tell all of you about Stacey And Joe.

“There will be the normal madness of a family with lots of kids, plenty of animals and two busy parents.”

Meanwhile, it’s still unclear when Stacey will return to Loose Women. Her last appearance was during the show’s 25-hour talkathon special last year.

Loose Women and four other shows have been cancelled from this week’s ITV broadcast schedule in a massive shake-up, as the broadcast makes room for Cheltenham Festival coverage

Fans of Loose Women and some other ITV favourites could be left diappointed this week as the broadcaster has axed five of it’s shows to make way for Cheltenham Festival to be broadcast.

The horse racing event kicks off on Tuesday 11 March and will run until Friday 14 March, with coverage aired to ITV each day. In order to make way for the festival, which often draws in numerous famous faces, five programmes have been removed from the schedule while others have been moved. After This Morning airs from 10am on ITV1, Loose Women usually follows on straight after, but this week the Cheltenham festival has replaced the panel show, with the main coverage kicking off at 12.45pm

The shake-up is to make room for coverage of Cheltenham festival, which runs across four days from Tuesday until Friday ( 
Image:
Romilly Lockyer, Getty Images

While This Morning has managed to retain it’s slot, the Cat Deeley and Ben Shepherd-fronted show will be finishing 15 minutes earlier than usual.

ITV Racing are also running The Opening Show, which is a preview for the day’s activities, on each day of the festival – with this reportedly running from 9am until 10am. This means that re-runs of 1980s US drama Magnum P.I. have been removed from the regular schedule, while re-runs of British drama Robin of Sherwood have been pushed forward in the schedule.

With the extensive Cheltenham coverage running right up until 5pm, when business as usual resumes and The Chase airs, shows such as Alan Titchmarsh’s Gardening Club, Tipping Point and Lingo , which usually air after Loose Women, appear to have been axed for the week.

Following Cheltenham’s run this week, ITV’s broadcasting schedule is thought to return to its usual running order come Monday 17 March

Split into four days, the festival kicks off with Champion Day, which will see races such as the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle and the Champion Hurdle. The second day is Ladies Day, which is known for the the Queen Mother Champion Chase and contains fashion and style awards for attendees. St. Patrick’s Thursday is the third day of the festival, which often sees a significant Irish presence and contains races such as the Ryanair Chase and the Stayers’ Hurdle. Finally, the festival ends with Gold Cup Day, which sees the Cheltenham Gold Cup, one of the most coveted prizes in racing, awarded.

A number of famous faces are expected to attend the racing festival, with the 2024 run seeing stars such as Josie Gibson, Georgia Toffolo and Sam Thompson flock to the racecourse. Not short of royal presence either, with Princess Anne, Princess Eugenie and Zara Tindall often spotted in the royal box