Lorraine and Loose Women’s return date is confirmed after ITV budget cuts saw shows pulled from air
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The return dates for Lorraine and Loose Women have been confirmed - after ITV budget cuts saw the programmes pulled off air.
These cuts have seen ITV's long-running daytime shows have their output slashed to 30 weeks per year.
Both Lorraine and Loose Women were most recently aired on screens back in March.
In the meantime, Good Morning Britain was extended by 30 minutes to cover Lorraine's slot while This Morning aired as usually scheduled.
ITV News then aired at 12.30pm, with game show re-reruns filling out the remainder of Loose Women's slot.
It has since been confirmed that Loose Women will return from Monday, April 27 with Christine Lampard as host.
The return dates for Loose Women and fellow ITV daytime show Lorraine have finally been confirmed
Popular presenter Lorraine Kelly was said to be feeling 'flat and at a loss' following cuts to her ITV show
She will be joined by show regulars Coleen Nolan, Jane Moore and Nadia Sawalha comprising the panel.
And according to The Sun, Lorraine Kelly will be back with her self-titled show from May 4.
Prior to the cuts, Lorraine, 66, had shared hosting duties on her show with the likes of Ranvir Singh and Christine Lampard - but now covers all five shows in the week.
It comes as Lorraine was said to be feeling 'flat and at a loss' following cuts to her ITV show which saw it reduced to just 30 minute episodes with several her colleagues axed.
A source said that while Lorraine is loving spending time with her one-year-old granddaughter Billie, daughter Rosie and husband Steve Smith, she is used to being busy in front of the camera.
'She's suddenly found herself with a lot more time on her hands, given these extra weeks off the air, and for a workhorse like Lorraine, it's taken a significant adjustment'.
Loose Women has been off viewers' screens since March, with ITV news and game show repeats filling the slot
'She is struggling with life without the team she worked with for many years. They provided daily support and interaction; they were like a second family that Lorraine has lost in a brutal and sudden way'.
Lorraine has not been shy about pining for her old team and recently paid tribute to former editor Victoria Kennedy following the show receiving a BAFTA nomination, saying the news 'really cheered her up'.
The source went on to tell The Sun: '[Lorraine has] been trying to lift her spirits by keeping herself busy, but she's still ambitious and she always has an eye on keeping herself fulfilled career-wise'.
The publication also reports that Lorraine recently dropped any direct mention of her show in her Instagram bio, which now reads: 'Granny to Billie. Mum to Rosie. On TV in the morning. Dundee United supporter'.
Daily Mail contacted Lorraine's representatives for comment.
Loose Women has also found itself a casualty of ITV cuts, with the afternoon panel show axing its live studio audience after following the channel from its old studio complex to a significantly smaller base in London's Covent Garden.
Further cutbacks mean that Susanna Reid has lost her own dedicated hairdresser, and no longer gets as much attention from the remaining hair and make-up artists as she once did, as Good Morning Britain staff now have to share their backstage resources with ITV News.
Previously all daytime TV shows were shot at the sizeable Television Centre in White City, and the reduced space is said to be causing issues off-camera.
A source told Daily Mail: ''It's incredibly chaotic behind the scenes. The space for all three shows – Loose Women, This Morning and Lorraine – is downstairs in the basement so three different sets are all crammed into one place.
'Backstage the dressing rooms are limited. There just isn't enough space, especially when there are four women getting ready to be in front of the camera at the same time.
'It's not an ideal situation at all. There have been some meltdowns.'
