Loose Women star slams 'disappointing’ reaction to ITV daytime cuts

Jane Moore has hit back at the "snooty reaction" from some critics following the news that Loose Women will be reduced to 30 weeks per year.

The seasoned journalist, who believes ITV is planning to channel the savings into more sports programming, expressed her "immense disappointment" at what she described as "lazy misogyny".

She penned: "One male commentator for a broadsheet casually dismissed Loose Women - on air for 25 years - as a 'gabfest'... The snooty reaction from some quarters was immensely disappointing."

Although Jane, aged 63, refrains from naming the broadsheet or the commentator in her column, she proceeds to highlight instances where Loose Women has robustly challenged prominent political figures.

In her article for The Sun, Jane pointed out: "Clearly he hadn't seen the episode when Janet Street Porter turned to then-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and demanded: 'Why do you hate pensioners?'... Or when a squirming Nigel Farage was put on the spot and declared afterwards 'that was one of the scariest things I've ever done.'".

Loose Women, an ITV fixture since 2000, also clinched a Royal Television Society award earlier this year for its impactful Facing It Together campaign against domestic violence, reports The Mirror.

Both Loose Women and Lorraine are set to face the chopping block in a major ITV overhaul, with their airtime reduced to just 30 weeks per year starting from 2026.

It's speculated that this cost-saving strategy will allow funds to be funnelled into sports broadcasting instead.

Jane Moore, who braved the jungle on I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! last year, expressed her frustration, remarking: "When it was announced that one of the precious few, all-female shows was being cut back to 30 weeks a year to save money for, among other things, more sport, the snooty reaction from some quarters was immensely disappointing."

She highlighted the show's vital role, saying: "We always cover the day's main news stories, as well as ­important topics such as, among many other things, miscarriage, post-natal depression, menopause, midlife female invisibility (oh the irony) and breast cancer awareness."

A stalwart of Loose Women since 2013, Jane has seen its panel diversity with age ranges stretching from 25 to 85-year-oldTV icon Gloria Hunniford, though rumblings suggest there may be downsizing on the horizon.

In another corner of ITV's morning schedule, Lorraine Kelly, hosting her eponymous programme since 2010, is reported to be less than thrilled with the impending cuts.

An ITV insider revealed, "She has been an icon of ITV but serious cuts need to be made and her show has been cut to just 30 minutes, which after ad breaks will be a very short chunk of time."

Loose Women is available to watch on ITVX.