LOOSE Women star Linda Robson has revealed the ‘reason’ for a brutal change to the ITV show.
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The former Birds Of A Feather star opens up on the backstage mood as huge changes to the daytime schedule loom large.
ITV previously announced that Loose Women and Lorraine will only air on a seasonal basis for 30 weeks a year.
Jobs will reportedly be cut as the production teams will be streamlined with This Morning.
On top of that, The Sun previously reported that bosses at ITV decided to scrap the live studio audience as part of the cost-cutting measures.
Now Linda Robson, 67, has opened up on the various proposed changes to the show, amid fears of a potential cancellation.
“Well, you just have to stay positive, really, don’t, ya?,” she exclusively told The Sun.
“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.”
As well as the audience watching the panel debate at home, Linda couldn’t help but think of both the presenters and the production staff that have been working on the show for two decades.
She also hopes that once the changes come into force, the audience could return.
The star explained: “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.”
It was previously reported that bosses were considering axing celebrity guests on the long-running show.
Instead each live show will apparently consist of the panel debating newsworthy topics from the week, according to the Daily Mail.
However, Linda has insisted that whilst guests will always appear on the show, she fears that bosses the reason for the audience format axe was due to monetary issues.
She explained: “We’ll always have guests on there, but the studio audience, I think it cost them quite a lot of money to have security and everything for the audience.
“It’ll be very sad if we can’t have an audience. But during Covid, we didn’t have an audience, we just got on with it.”
ITV’s daytime TV schedule changes in full
Good Morning Britain will be extended by 30 minutes to run from 6am to 9.30am daily.
Lorraine will run from 9.30am-10am, on a seasonal basis for 30 weeks of the year.
During the weeks Lorraine is not on air, Good Morning Britain will run from 6am to 10am.
This Morning will remain in its 10am-12.30pm slot on weekdays throughout the year.
Loose Women will be in the 12.30-1.30pm slot, again on a seasonal basis for 30 weeks of the year.
The changes will take effect from January 2026.
When we asked if all the talent are ‘rallying together,’ Linda confirmed: “Yeah, we are.”
Reaffirming the mood backstage, she added: “We’re just trying to stay as positive as we can really.”
The Sun previously reported that the panellists are said to be ‘crestfallen’ by the size of their new home.
Various reports suggested that the new set will be far smaller than the current studio based at Television Centre in White City.
We are [like a family], we’ve all been through everything together as well, you know, births, weddings and deaths.
Linda Robson
While ITV have explained that the studio is not yet confirmed, it has been reported locations being considered include London’s Celebro or The Hospital Club in Covent Garden.
A source previously told The Sun: “It feels like the show they’ve fought so long and hard to create is slowly being decimated. It’s heartbreaking.”
But Linda hopes that the show will still carry on as it always has done, as she commented: “I’d like to see it continue as it always has done, really.
“It’s just a shame, because so many people are losing their jobs, the security guards and some of the producers.
Regular Loose Women panellists
Katie Piper – Former Strictly Come Dancing star, activist, model and author
Sunetra Sarker – A former Strictly Come Dancing star, and known for her role in Casualty
Kaye Adams – Scottish journalist and one of the original Loose Women
Christine Lampard – ITV presenter
Ruth Langsford – Presented Loose Women on and off since 1999
Jane Moore – Sun columnist and former I’m A Celebrity contestant
Coleen Nolan – Became known for her family girl band called The Nolans and went on to compete on Celeb Big Brother
Nadia Sawalha – Former EastEnders star and Celebrity MasterChef winner
Stacey Solomon – Known for her reality show Sort Your Life Out and winning series 10 of I’m A Celeb
Janet Street-Porter – A journalist and president of the Ramblers’ Association
Brenda Edwards – Came fourth on The X Factor and went on to become a pop star and act in hit musicals such as Hairspray
Charlene White – Lead presenter at ITV News London
Kelle Bryan – Former EastEnders star and was in girl group Eternal alongside her sisters. Also starred in Hollyoaks
Olivia Attwood – Love Island star who joined the cast of The Only Way Is Essex
Frankie Bridge – Participated in Strictly Come Dancing and came third on I’m A Celeb in 2021
Judi Love – A stand up comedian and radio presenter, who has also made a variety of TV appearances in shows such as Strictly Come Dancing, Celebrity MasterChef, and Taskmaster
Linda Robson – Played iconic character Tracey Stubbs in Birds Of A Feather
Denise Welch – A soap queen, she starred in Coronation Street, Waterloo Road and Hollyoaks. Also the mother of Matt Healy, the lead singer of pop rock group the 1975
Gloria Hunniford – TV presenter who’s appeared on The Masked Singer and Strictly
Penny Lancaster – Model who is married to Rod Stewart
Dame Kelly Holmes – Double Olympic gold medallist in the 800m and 1500m
Myleene Klass – Member of pop group Hear’Say and classically trained musician
Ayda Field – American actress who is married to Robbie Williams
Sue Cleaver – Known for playing Eileen Grimshaw on the ITV soap opera Coronation Street
Kelly Brook – Model who found fame on The Big Breakfast with Johnny Vaughan
Mariella Frostrup – British-Norwegian journalist and presenter
“So, and hopefully they’ll find somewhere else to work.”
She added: “We are [like a family], we’ve all been through everything together as well, you know, births, weddings and deaths.
“We’ve all been very close, and we all look after each other.”
The Sun has contacted ITV for comment.
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