Veteran broadcaster Lorraine Kelly has made a heartfelt plea to her audience, asking them to 'stay with her' following ITV's decision to drastically reduce and overhaul her long-running morning show.
Major Schedule Overhaul and Cost-Cutting
ITV's sweeping cost-saving measures have directly impacted Lorraine Kelly's programme. The 65-year-old presenter will now see her show lose its 9-10am slot for 22 weeks of the year, with Good Morning Britain taking over that hour. For the remaining 30 weeks, she will present five days a week, rendering her regular Friday stand-ins, Ranvir Singh and Christine Lampard, unnecessary for the show.
Kelly, who previously described the changes as 'heartbreaking' but vowed not to quit, emphasised her deep connection with viewers. She stated she 'never takes her viewers for granted' and hopes they will weather the storm alongside her.
'Hopefully the audience will still stay with us, because that's the most important thing to me,' Kelly told The Standard. 'The show continues and obviously it's only going to be the half hour… but you know what, we're still here. We're still here.'
Wider Impact on ITV Daytime
The cuts extend beyond Lorraine. Loose Women will also be axed for half the year, as part of ITV Daytime's significant restructuring announced earlier this year, which involves over 220 job losses.
ITV sources explained the decision to reduce resources in daytime scheduling is aimed at freeing up funds to invest in more drama programming. One source stated: ‘There is a need to cost save but also so that the right money can go to the right shows and with everything getting more expensive these things have to be looked at.’ The source confirmed that Christine Lampard and Ranvir Singh remain part of the ITV daytime family.
Notably, This Morning, presented by Alison Hammond, Ben Shephard, and Cat Deeley, remains unaffected by these changes.
Production Changes and Executive Rationale
Further operational shifts include Good Morning Britain moving production from ITV Studios to ITN, the organisation responsible for ITV News. This move could lead to a merger between GMB staff and the channel's news bulletin teams.
Kevin Lygo, ITV's Managing Director of Media and Entertainment, defended the changes. '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.'
Lygo added that the changes would help consolidate news operations and expand output, while acknowledging the impact on off-screen staff. An ITV source insisted the decisions were not influenced by any show's performance, highlighting that This Morning and GMB have 'escaped unscathed' with a booming social media presence.
Reflecting on her 35-year career, Lorraine Kelly expressed profound gratitude for her viewers' loyalty. 'It's something that I never, ever take for granted and I never take any, any of this for granted. I really don't, because it's an honour,' she said, revealing that her decades on screen have led fans to consider her a friend.
