Loose Women star Linda Robson has opened up on the ITV show’s future amid fears it could be cancelled, as she revealed she’s trying to ‘stay positive’Linda Robson has revealed her true feelings on the Loose Women changes
Loose Women star Linda Robson has opened up about her thoughts on the ITV programme’s sweeping changes amid concerns it might be axed entirely. The beloved panellist, 67, confessed she’s hopeful bosses will reconsider their proposals.
In May it emerged the popular programme would be cancelled for six months of the year as chiefs considered drastic reductions to slash millions from the budget. The financial cutbacks are set to take effect in January.
It will spearhead a completely different approach for the Loose Women crew. Celebrity guests will no longer appear in the studio and their live audience will be no more.
Mounting concerns suggest the ITV mainstay might even face complete cancellation within 12 months. Linda has now shared her perspective on the strategy as she stressed she’s attempting to “stay positive”, as reported by the Mirror.
She added: “I think it’d be very sad if it got cancelled because of all the people that are watching at home, especially like older people and that was sitting down, looking forward to watching it every day.”
Loose Women stars are sitting in fear they will be axed from the show (Image: ITV)
Discussing the dramatic alterations and her fellow presenters, Linda told the Sun: “A lot of them have been doing it for 25 years now, so, but hopefully, maybe, like in the new year, they’ll be able to get the audience back and carry on as normal.”
Loose Women is not the only programme facing significant changes, as ITV are also cutting budgets for Good Morning Britain, Lorraine and This Morning. They are reducing staff numbers by half and substantially cutting broadcast hours for several programmes.
The cuts at ITV Studios, which produces all four shows, will result in more than 220 of the 440 staff involved being made redundant. Linda previously expressed her sadness, saying: “It’s a shame people are losing their jobs.
“We’re all like a family. We’ve been together through births, marriages, deaths. It’s been very hard. Everyone’s worried about the show. We’re just trying to stay positive and hope for the best. But hopefully it’s not going be as bad as it already is.”
Linda’s co-star Nadia Sawalha has also revealed the impact of the changes on the team. “What people don’t realise at Loose Women is that we’re self-employed,” she clarified.
“I am self-employed. Every contract is a new contract. I could be let go tomorrow. I could be let go in five years. You don’t know because we’re not employees.”
Meanwhile, Janet Street-Porter seems confident of her position. The legendary journalist is reportedly certain that “older” Loose Women are unlikely to face the axe as they resonate with the target audience.
“There are no plans to get rid of the older women despite what some people have said,” Janet stated.
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