ITV's Lorraine Kelly 'more hassle than she's worth' to bosses as show slashed back
The Scottish TV presenter has faced backlash for the mounting number of her own shows she has been missing, with ITV bosses reportedly 'favouring' Good Morning Britain's Susanna Reid.
Lorraine Kelly's popular breakfast programme has faced large criticism, with the show reportedly "more hassle than it's worth" according to ITV insiders. It comes as bosses are reportedly appearing to be on the edge of giving it the chop completely.
It was confirmed on Tuesday that Lorraine's flagship programme would slashed from being on 52 weeks of the year to just 30. The running time will be cut to only 30 minutes, instead of the hour, as reported by the Scottish Express.
Glasgow-born Lorraine, 65, has fronted her show on the platform since 2010 and been a firm TV favourite for over 40 years. However her crown as the queen of the small screen could reportedly be slipping, with her increasingly absent from being in the presenter's chair.
According to the reports, she is reported to have presented less than 60 per cent of editions of Lorraine in the past 18 months, with her constant absences often mocked online by viewers. Some of her co-stars such as Christine Lampard and Ranvir Singh have stepped into the presenters chair, but sources say bosses are often left scrambling around to find a replacement, reports the Mail.
One source said: "She had a show named for her which has been going for 15 years but it actually became more hassle than it was worth to keep having to sort out cover for her. Thankfully Christine and Ranvir love doing it and would often be available at short notice.
"In fact, if Christine would ever take on the role full-time then maybe it would save the slot but she just doesn't want to. So we are left with a situation which in the end wasn't a great look for Lorraine.
"She's the grande dame of ITV, or perhaps she thought she was. She used to rule that show with an iron fist and what she said went, but recently she hasn't been there."
On the other hand, this is reportedly a very different story for how bosses feel towards Good Morning Britain's Susanna Reid who rarely misses a show. According to the insider, it is no coincidence that GMB has been extended by 30 minutes to fill the gap left by the Lorraine show cuts - and an hour when the Lorraine show is not on, with Reid, 54, offered more screen time.
They added: "Susanna is the favoured one. The bosses are besotted with her and they wanted to give her more and more. At the same time it was increasingly obvious that Lorraine wasn't there."
Lorraine, who became a grandmother last year to granddaughter Billie, presented her show as normal on Wednesday amid speculation she could walk away completely. She recently took some time off after undergoing preventative surgery.
She has previously referenced the social media account that recorded the absences from the show. Describing it as "hurtful", she added: "I'm a grafter and I work really hard and I've had to take Fridays off for the past year.
"I just thought it was weird to care so much." In response, the Twitter account, @LorraineKWatch, stopped recording her appearances, saying the "joke has run its course" and apologising.
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