Coleen Nolan has expressed concerns over her finances following ITV's decision to reduce the broadcast schedule of Loose Women. The veteran panellist, who has been with the show since its inception, revealed that the programme will now only air during school term times.
Speaking on the Not My Bagg podcast, Nolan said: "We'll only be on during term time now, so all the holidays will be off. On one hand, you go 'quite nice time off,' but then on the other hand, you go: 'I've still got bills to pay.'" She acknowledged that the show was fortunate to survive at all, adding: "It could have been worse. They could have said: 'By the way, we're not recommissioning it. See you later.'"
The changes are part of broader ITV budget cuts affecting Good Morning Britain, Lorraine, and This Morning. Production has moved from ITV's west London studio to a smaller facility in Covent Garden, meaning Loose Women will no longer have a live studio audience. Nolan lamented the loss, saying: "I love having the audience there... you get all the feedback and the adrenaline. So that's going to be really weird for us." Viewers have also voiced disappointment, with one fan commenting: "The audience makes a huge contribution to the atmosphere of the show. Bring them back."
Beyond the audience, around 220 backstage staff have lost their jobs. Nolan expressed sadness for her colleagues: "They've all got to find new jobs. So there's a sadness. I understand that it's a business, and sometimes hard decisions have to be made." She reflected on the changing TV landscape, noting: "When I was a kid, there were three channels. Now I can't even count how many there are."
To offset the reduction in income, Nolan is launching a new one-woman tour titled This Is Me, following her 2024 show Naked. The tour, which begins next month, will cover her life from childhood in Blackpool to her time with The Nolan Sisters, as well as personal struggles including divorces and a basal-cell carcinoma diagnosis. Nolan told Woman's Weekly: "I can sleep better knowing I've been honest. It's very difficult to keep up a persona that isn't truly authentic."
