Loose Women is set to be off air for several weeks as part of a major ITV scheduling shake-up. During the programme on Friday, July 17, presenter Kaye Adams confirmed the show would take a summer break and return in September.
Adams, alongside GK Barry, Oti Mabuse, and Kelle Bryan, announced: "We're done for the summer. We will not be gone for long though, we'll be back in September. For now, have a fabulous weekend, a fabulous summer and we'll see you very soon!"
Budget Cuts Behind the Scenes
The scheduling change follows a wave of budget cuts that have impacted other ITV daytime shows, including Good Morning Britain and Lorraine. It was revealed months ago that Loose Women would now broadcast for only 30 weeks a year, down from the customary 52, according to the Express.
Lorraine Kelly's show has been reduced to 30 minutes and now operates on a seasonal schedule only. Live audiences for Loose Women were scrapped, and several behind-the-scenes jobs were cut.
Presenters Express Devastation
Presenter Nadia Sawalha shared her devastation over the loss of warm-up performer Lee Peat, saying: "I am totally devastated by this fact, I can't get over it at all. Not only because the audience is so important for the show, but also my dear friend Lee who I work with every day."
Coleen Nolan also expressed concerns for the cast and crew, calling the redundancies "heartbreaking" and "devastating."
Studio Relocation and ITV's Statement
Loose Women relocated in January to a basement studio of a former private members' club in Covent Garden, sharing the venue with This Morning and Lorraine.
Announcing the changes last year, Kevin Lygo, Managing Director of ITV’s Media and Entertainment Division, said: "Daytime is a really important part of what we do, and these scheduling and production changes will enable us to continue to deliver a schedule providing viewers with the news, debate and discussion they love from the presenters they know and trust as well generating savings which will allow us to reinvest across the programme budget in other genres. These changes also allow us to consolidate our news operations and expand our national, international and regional news output and to build upon our proud history of trusted journalism at a time when our viewers need accurate, unbiased news coverage more than ever."
Loose Women can be streamed on ITVX.
