Loose Women ‘axing huge part of show' amid ITV budget cuts

The Sun

2 days ago

LOOSE Women bosses are reportedly axing a huge part of the show amid ITV budget cuts.
Producers have decided to drop the live studio audience next year as part of a series of cost-cutting changes to its daytime programming.
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The show will return in 2026 with a reduced run of just 30 episodes - and without the 100-capacity crowd.
It follows broader budget reductions across the channel, which also include halving Lorraine's airtime to 30 minutes and airing it only during school term times.
Producers' decision to drop the audience is understood to be a cost-saving measure, as it is managed by an external company that provides security and a warm-up act.
However, the change has prompted concern among production staff and presenters, including Ruth Langsford, Kaye Adams, Nadia Sawalha and Charlene White, who rely on audience reactions to shape the tone of the live discussions.
A source told MailOnline: "The panelists are really upset over the decision to axe the live studio audience from the show.
"It's what sets the series apart from the rest of ITV daytime and now there are massive fears that viewers will switch off completely.
"The only concern now is to cut costs and having a live studio audience can be expensive, with the added need for security and a warmup artist.
"Presenters already know how it feels to broadcast the show without an audience because that's what happened during the pandemic, and they all know it creates low mood and lack of atmosphere."
The Sun has contacted ITV for comment.
Just this week, Kaye Adams broke her silence on the chaos at Loose Women, admitting she's had sleepless nights over the cuts.
Nadia Sawalha in tears as she breaks silence on chaos at Loose Women offices after 'hundreds' of shock redundancies
Speaking on her podcast, How To Be 60, Kaye said she felt as though 'the rug had been pulled' from underneath her.
The 62-year-old confessed: 'It did come out of the blue.
"I didn't anticipate it, which is probably stupid in retrospect. You get into a sort of rhythm of life.
"I had a couple of sleepless nights I have to say, because it's just like the rug's been pulled from under your feet – what has been familiar.'
Kaye, who is one of Loose Women's main anchors, said: 'It's going to have an impact. Lots of people will lose their jobs completely which is terrible. It's a huge change.
'But I gave myself a talking to and I listened to my own advice for once – change is hard, but it can be good.
'The past is a trap, don't fear the future – I'm telling myself all these things. And maybe this is the nudge that I needed to make some changes in my life and I'll just have to go with it.'
It has been rumoured that the pool of Loose Women panellists will be reduced as part of the cutbacks, which will be introduced from January.
So far none of the hosts know if their livelihoods are at stake.
It is not yet known whether younger panellists, such as former Love Island contestant Olivia Attwood, 34, and influencer GK Barry, 25, will be favoured over veteran stars including Janet Street-Porter, 78, and Jane Moore, 63.
ITV's daytime TV schedule changes in full
Good Morning Britain will be extended by 30 minutes to run from 6am to 9.30am daily.
Lorraine will run from 9.30am-10am, on a seasonal basis for 30 weeks of the year.
During the weeks Lorraine is not on air, Good Morning Britain will run from 6am to 10am.
This Morning will remain in its 10am-12.30pm slot on weekdays throughout the year.
Loose Women will be in the 12.30-1.30pm slot, again on a seasonal basis for 30 weeks of the year.
The changes will take effect from January 2026.
Kaye who joined the Loose Women panel from its first series in 1999, said: 'It's well documented of course. They're having to make cuts and it will affect Loose Women and to be perfectly honest we have no idea at this point what is going to happen.'
The popular presenter revealed that she has been planning to downsize from the family home she shares in Glasgow with her husband, tennis coach Ian Campbell, since their two daughters Charly, 22 and Bonnie, 18, moved out.
She said the Loose Women changes might give her the opportunity to concentrate on the move.
Kaye told co-host Karen McKenzie: 'I've been going on and on I'm going to downsize and make changes to my house.
'Maybe it's going to give me a bit of time to focus on that and really spend some time on it.
'Funnily enough, I agreed ages ago to do this programme where they get people like me who are ready to get rid of big bits of furniture and downsize and they take them to an auction house and they sell them off and they film it.
'They asked me to earmark bits of furniture and different things that I was prepared to get rid of and so I agreed at the time, because I thought this is going to give me the impetus to really get going on the down-sizing.'
Kaye joked that she hadn't yet told her husband. 'They're coming with a truck and I haven't told Ian. For the last week I keep going to start the conversation with him – 'by the way, there's a film crew coming and I've told them that they can have that sideboard, that chair, that desk.' I haven't told him yet!
'But if I didn't tell him and he came back tomorrow night, he wouldn't notice. He might if the sofa was gone or the television, but that's about it!'
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