Vanessa Feltz has broken her silence after her daytime chat show was axed by Channel 5 after just a year on air, admitting she was 'shocked to the core' by the decision. The broadcaster's show, 'Vanessa', was cancelled earlier this week, and Feltz revealed the news on her LBC radio show.
Feltz Expresses Shock and Upset
Speaking on LBC, Feltz said: 'It was a bit of a shock. It was meant to be a delightful year’s contract, the show was going really well… I was shocked to the core and very upset and I still am. It was only Wednesday at 3 o’clock that I found out.' She added that she believes the decision came from Paramount, the parent company that owns Channel 5, stating: 'They want to show Paramount movies every afternoon at two. It doesn't cost them any money because they already own them. I don't think I really came into the equation at all.'
Channel 5's Statement and Show's Struggles
A Channel 5 spokesperson told the Mirror at the time of cancellation: 'Due to afternoon scheduling changes, ‘Vanessa’ will be rested from July 17th. We thank Vanessa and her team at ITN for 18 months of warm, witty, wise and searingly honest shows. Vanessa remains a valued member of the Channel 5 family and we are discussing future projects together.'
Throughout its 18-month run, the chat show was plagued by prank calls and low viewer numbers. Nuisance calls included impersonations of Kim Woodburn and references to convicted killer Virginia McCullough. Fake calls became a regular occurrence, reaching two per week, and often went viral on social media. The show attracted an average of 500,000 viewers per episode, significantly less than competitor 'Loose Women' on ITV, which draws 800,000 to 1 million viewers.
Show's History and Revamps
'Vanessa' originally aired on ITV from 1994 to 1998 before being replaced by 'Trisha'. Feltz continued her career on Channel 4's 'The Big Breakfast', BBC Radio 2, and 'This Morning', among others. The show returned on Channel 5, airing for an hour on weekdays at 2pm. Since its comeback, it underwent three revamps, including changes to its set and logo, in an attempt to boost viewership, but audience numbers remained low.
A source told the Mail that Feltz was blindsided when she was informed of the cancellation: 'Vanessa was brought into a meeting after her show came off air this week. She had no idea what the meeting was about and certainly didn't expect to be told it was not being renewed. She feels so blindsided but also let down by bosses.'
