BREAKING: ITV Leaves Viewers Heartbroken as Lorraine and Loose Women Are Confirmed to Be Taken Off Air CQ🚨

Fans of ITV’s daytime favourites are facing an unwelcome interruption, with Lorraine and Loose Women set to disappear from schedules for an entire week next month.

The disruption comes as ITV clears its daytime line-up to make way for live coverage of the Cheltenham Festival, which begins on March 10 and will dominate the broadcaster’s output.

What’s Changing — and When

The changes start on Monday, March 9, when Good Morning Britain will extend its broadcast until 10am, absorbing the usual Lorraine slot. This Morning will then air from 10am, before live racing coverage takes over at 12:30pm — pushing Loose Women off air for the rest of the week.

While ITV has long prioritised Cheltenham coverage, the timing has reignited concerns about the broadcaster’s recent cost-cutting drive and its impact on daytime television.

Not Just About Racing

Earlier this year, ITV confirmed more than 200 redundancies as part of sweeping budget reductions, driven by falling linear viewing figures and a broader shift toward on-demand platforms. Those cuts have already reshaped the daytime schedule.

Lorraine was reduced from an hour to a 30-minute programme, while Loose Women now airs for just 30 weeks a year and no longer features its long-standing live studio audience. To plug the gaps, Good Morning Britain was extended by half an hour — a change that brought its own upheaval.

As part of the restructure, GMB relocated to a smaller studio at ITN’s Gray’s Inn Road headquarters, ending its long-standing presence at Television Centre. Insiders say the moves have been emotionally difficult for teams who have worked together for decades.

“It really feels like the end of an era,” one source said. “From GMTV to Daybreak to GMB — alongside Lorraine, Loose Women and This Morning — people who weren’t ready to leave yet are saying goodbye.”

ITV Responds

ITV’s Managing Director of Media and Entertainment, Kevin Lygo, has defended the changes, arguing they are necessary to protect the future of daytime programming.

“Daytime is a really important part of what we do,” he said. “These scheduling and production changes allow us to continue delivering the news, debate and discussion viewers love from presenters they know and trust, while generating savings that can be reinvested elsewhere.”

Lygo added that the restructure would strengthen ITV’s news operation, enabling expanded national, international and regional coverage.

‘A Splintered Family’

The human impact of the cuts was recently acknowledged by Ranvir Singh, who appears across Good Morning Britain, Lorraine and game show Riddiculous.

Speaking candidly, she said: “Whatever happens personally in your career doesn’t really compare to the difficulties colleagues behind the scenes have felt. I’ve said goodbye to people I’ve worked with for over ten years.”

While noting that GMB continues to perform well in the ratings, Singh admitted the atmosphere has changed. “You miss the people you loved working with. That family feel — even if we’re a bit splintered now — the memories never fade.”

What Happens Next

Under normal circumstances, Lorraine airs weekdays at 9:30am, with Loose Women following at 12:30pm. Both programmes are expected to return after the Cheltenham Festival concludes.

For viewers, however, the week-long absence has only intensified questions about ITV’s long-term daytime strategy. Is this simply a temporary scheduling decision — or another sign of deeper changes still to come?