Loose Women star Janet Street-Porter reveals which stars are at risk from brutal ITV cuts

Daily Mirror

6 days ago

Journalist Janet Street-Porter has revealed which panellists are safe and which ones are at risk amid huge cost-saving cuts at ITV
Loose Women favourite Janet Street-Porter has shed light on the looming cuts coming to ITV which are set to impact several daytime shows.
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Panellist and journalist Janet, 78, has insisted that none of the 'older' Loose Women panellists will be going anywhere, hinting that if jobs are to be cut, it will be the newcomers or younger stars who appear on the ITV show.
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"There are no plans to get rid of the older women despite of what some people have said," Janet insisted. "In fact, the reserve is true. ITV actually put out a statement saying we are the valued members of the show because the audience totally relates to us."
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Janet added: "I think Loose Women has become a programme that is trusted by a lot of women because we talk about the issues that they are concerned about - whether it's female health, domestic violence, or how politicians don't really understand working women.
"I think the show has managed to connect women who wouldn't otherwise have a voice. And it's delivered with a lot of laughs because we don't take ourselves too seriously," she told Bella.
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It comes as Loose Women is facing its biggest shake-up in decades, with dramatic changes that have left fans and cast members reeling as insiders fear the ITV favourite could be axed altogether within the next year.
The iconic lunchtime chat show, known for its bold debates and A-list guests, is expected to cut celebrity interviews completely from January as part of sweeping budget cuts across ITV Daytime.
The move comes just months after bosses announced the show would only air for 30 weeks of the year rather than its usual 52, slashing production time nearly in half.
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Now, with viewing figures predicted to tumble even further, sources claim Loose Women is 'on borrowed time' as ITV pivots its focus to sister shows Lorraine and This Morning.
Over its 25 year history, Loose Women has welcomed some of the world 's biggest stars to the panel - from Naomi Campbell and Janet Jackson to Dame Joan Collins and even former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
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But sources claim the show will no longer feature famous faces promoting their projects because there won't be enough staff to manage guests behind the scenes.
Instead, those high-profile bookings will now reportedly be prioritised for Lorraine and This Morning, leaving Loose Women to rely solely on its panel discussions of the day's news and lifestyle topics.
'Not having guests is a big blow for both the presenters and viewers at home,' an insider revealed.
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'The celebrity interviews are often one of the highlights of the show and bring a unique energy you don't get on other programmes. It feels like a strange decision to cut them altogether.'
Behind the scenes, the panel - including long-serving stars like Nadia Sawalha, Ruth Langsford and Coleen Nolan - are said to be 'deeply upset' by the changes.
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Loose Women has already axed its live studio audience, a move that has left both the panel and crew heartbroken.
Nadia Sawalha admitted she was 'totally devastated' at the loss of the audience and spoke out in support of her close friend and warm-up artist Lee Peart, who lost his job as a result.
'The audience is so important for the show,' Nadia said. 'What a lot of people don't realise is that we're self-employed. Every contract is a new contract - I could be let go tomorrow or in five years. It's brutal.'
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She added: 'Hundreds of people are going to be made redundant out of the blue. A lot of my friends and colleagues on this show and at ITV have been there for decades, and I can't tell you how upsetting it was to see people walking around numb with shock and fear about what they were going to do.'
ITV bosses have blamed 'insane inflation' and rising costs for the daytime cuts, which have also seen Lorraine halved to 30 minutes and reduced to term-time broadcasts.
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In May, ITV confirmed that production of Good Morning Britain will shift to a dedicated team at ITV News, while Loose Women, Lorraine, and This Morning will merge behind-the-scenes teams to save costs.
But industry insiders warn that these measures will likely spell the end for Loose Women.
An ITV spokesperson said: 'The Loose Women team is still working on the show and its content for next year.'
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On screen, viewers will see huge changes to the daytime schedule. Lorraine is the worst hit. It will run for 30 weeks, not 50 weeks a year, and will be slashed from an hour to 30 minutes each day.
Loose Women will stay at the same running time but will also be cut to 30 weeks. This Morning will remain the same length and frequency.
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The Loose Women panel, including Coleen Nolan, GK Barry and Frankie Bridge, are also expected to see shifts dwindle, especially those who live outside London and charge for travel and hotels. Glam squads are also expected to be axed with stars expected to use in-house make-up.
Meanwhile Good Morning Britain will be extended by 30 minutes, to run from 6am to 9.30am. For the 22 weeks of the year Lorraine is not airing, it will go on until 10am.
Speaking about the huge cuts, an insider recently told The Mirror: "It's not a case of viewers seeing less of their shows… it's impossible to see how the high standards will remain the same.
"Some staff believe Loose Women and Lorraine in particular will enter a death spiral… it's just so sad. Just a handful of people will be working on each of those two programmes which has huge ramifications for how they are going forward."