If you tuned into ITV1 this week expecting to catch up with your favorite daytime talk shows, you might have been in for a surprise. Both Loose Women and Lorraine, staples of British daytime television, have vanished from the schedule for several weeks, leaving fans wondering what’s going on behind the scenes. The disappearance isn’t a one-off fluke or a sudden emergency—it’s part of a major shake-up of ITV’s daytime lineup, a change that’s been brewing since last year and is now reshaping how millions of viewers start their day.
The immediate reason for the absence of Loose Women this week is straightforward: ITV is dedicating the coveted 12:30pm weekday slot to coverage of the 2026 Cheltenham Festival, a fixture in the British sporting calendar. According to Digital Spy, this short-term change was confirmed during the March 6 episode, when presenter Kaye Adams turned to co-host Jayne Moore and said, “There is a reason to get tearful, it’s your last Loose Women for a few weeks. We will be back next month. Until then, take care, have a fabulous weekend and Easter, and we’ll see you very soon.”
But while the Cheltenham Festival explains this week’s absence, the longer break—and the broader changes—have deeper roots. In May 2025, ITV announced a sweeping overhaul of its daytime programming. The restructuring affects not only Loose Women and Lorraine, but also This Morning and Good Morning Britain. As Kevin Lygo, Managing Director of ITV’s Media and Entertainment Division, explained at the time, “I recognise that our plans will have an impact on staff off screen in our Daytime production teams. We will work with ITV Studios and ITN as they manage these changes to produce the shows differently from next year, and support them through this transition.”
The specifics of the changes are significant. Both Loose Women and Lorraine now air for 30 weeks out of the year, rather than running every weekday year-round. Lorraine’s slot has been reduced from a full hour to just 30 minutes, while Loose Women holds its 12:30pm-1:30pm slot, but only for about half the year. The new schedule, which took effect in January 2026, essentially brings Loose Women back to the seasonal format it used prior to 2016.
The shake-up hasn’t been without its casualties. According to Express, the changes led to around 200 job losses in ITV’s daytime production last year, as the broadcaster centralized operations and shifted some shows’ production locations. Good Morning Britain extended its daily slot to 9:30am and is now produced by ITV News at ITN, while This Morning, Lorraine, and Loose Women continue under ITV Studios, broadcasting from a new central London location.
For the fans, the on-air announcements were sudden but not entirely unexpected. On March 6, both Loose Women and Lorraine presenters addressed the impending breaks. Jayne Moore, appearing emotional, told viewers, “I thought you were getting a bit tearful! There is a reason to get tearful, it’s your last Loose Women for a few weeks.” Christine Lampard, who has stepped in for Lorraine Kelly during her absence, closed Friday’s edition of Lorraine by saying, “That’s all for today here, Lorraine will be back in a few weeks’ time. Have a lovely weekend. See you soon.”
Lorraine Kelly herself has been off air since March 5, 2026, after coming down with what she described as a “bad lurgy.” She missed both the Thursday and Friday episodes, with Christine Lampard and Ben Shephard stepping in as last-minute replacements. In a heartfelt video message posted to social media on March 9, Lorraine reassured her 591,000 Instagram followers, “Hi there! Just wanted to say thanks for all the get-well wishes. I’m feeling a whole lot better. But this has been a bad lurgy. If you’re going through it yourself, you have my sympathies. It’s a tough one. But I’m getting there.”
She went on to clarify that her absence from screens would stretch several weeks—not just due to illness, but because of the new programming schedule. “I will be off, though, for a good few weeks. Not because I’m not well, but of course because there have been changes to the show. I now do 30 weeks a year. So I won’t see you for a wee while,” she explained. Lorraine’s gratitude to her fans was palpable: “But I want to thank you for sticking with me through all the changes, and I hope to see you when I’m back on air. I never take it for granted. And I really, really appreciate you tuning in. Thanks so, so much.”
The wave of support for Lorraine came quickly, with high-profile colleagues and fans sending their best wishes. Good Morning Britain host Susanna Reid posted, “Get well soon @lorrainekellysmith and loads of love.” Strictly Come Dancing’s Amy Dowden added, “Sending all the love, lovely lady @lorraine missed you this morning xxxx.” ITV’s Dr. Amir Khan chimed in as well: “We love you and hope you feel better xx.”
For Loose Women, the break is less about illness and more about the new schedule, though the timing with the Cheltenham Festival means fans will have to wait even longer for the show’s return. The panel show, which has been a fixture of ITV’s daytime lineup for over 40 years, now airs for 30 weeks a year, with the current hiatus expected to last until next month. The exact return date remains unconfirmed, but on-air comments from presenters like Kaye Adams and Jayne Moore suggest a multi-week window, with a return likely in April.
Meanwhile, Good Morning Britain has expanded its reach, now running from 6am to 9:30am each weekday, and This Morning continues in its 10am to 12:30pm slot. These moves, part of ITV’s broader strategy, aim to keep the network’s daytime output fresh and competitive as it enters its eighth decade. As Kevin Lygo put it, “Daytime has been a core element of ITV’s schedule for over 40 years and these changes will set ITV up to continue to bring viewers award winning news, views and discussion as we enter our eighth decade.”
For now, fans of Loose Women and Lorraine will have to bide their time, perhaps tuning into Cheltenham Festival coverage or catching up with other ITV programming. But if the outpouring of support for Lorraine Kelly and the emotional on-air farewells are any indication, viewers will be waiting eagerly for their favorite hosts to return to the screen. The new era of ITV Daytime is here—different, yes, but still aiming to deliver the warm, familiar faces and lively discussion that have made these shows household names for decades.