Loose Women's Janet Street-Porter reveals stars getting 'axed' amid brutal ITV cuts

Loose Women star Janet Street-Porter has spoken out about the future of the long-running ITV daytime show amid reports of upcoming budget cuts across the broadcaster's daytime schedule.

The 78-year-old journalist and panellist reassured viewers that the programme's older stars are not currently facing the axe, despite growing concern that some daytime programming could be scaled back or even cancelled.

"There are no plans to get rid of the older women despite what some people have said," she said. "In fact, the reverse is true. ITV actually put out a statement saying we are the valued members of the show because the audience totally relates to us."

Loose Women, which has been on air since 1999, typically features four female panellists discussing topical news and social issues. ITV confirmed in May that both Loose Women and Lorraine would be reducing the number of broadcast weeks from 52 to 30, leading to concerns over staffing and programming.

More than 220 employees are expected to lose their jobs as part of the changes.

Speaking to Bella magazine, Janet suggested that younger or less established panellists may be more vulnerable to cuts.

She said: "I think Loose Women has become a programme that is trusted by a lot of women because we talk about the issues that they are concerned about - whether it's female health, domestic violence or how politicians don't really understand working women."

She added: "I think the show has managed to connect women who wouldn't otherwise have a voice. And it's delivered with a lot of laughs because we don't take ourselves too seriously."

A source told MailOnline: "The panelists are really upset over the decision to axe the live studio audience from the show. It's what sets the series apart from the rest of ITV daytime and now there are massive fears that viewers will switch off completely.

"The only concern now is to cut costs and having a live studio audience can be expensive, with the added need for security and a warmup artist.

"Presenters already know how it feels to broadcast the show without an audience because that's what happened during the pandemic, and they all know it creates low mood and lack of atmosphere."

An ITV insider told The Sun: "While there is a proposal to not have a studio audience for Loose Women from 2026, that doesn't necessarily mean that we'll never have a studio audience again, it just won't be in the same way as it is now.

"At this stage we are still exploring new ways of working and producing the show when we move to a new studio next year."

According to reports, the show is also likely to drop celebrity guests, with producers expected to limit future episodes to discussions among the core panel. ITV has yet to confirm whether this change will be permanent.

Loose Women has previously welcomed a wide range of celebrity guests, including Naomi Campbell, Dame Joan Collins, Elizabeth Hurley and former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

There are also unconfirmed reports suggesting the show could be cancelled altogether within a year, though ITV has not issued a formal statement on that possibility.