Lorraine Kelly has spoken for the first time about the “heartbreaking” cuts to her long-running ITV morning show but insists she has no plans to quit.
The presenter, 65, confirmed she will continue hosting Lorraine despite major scheduling changes which mean Good Morning Britain will now take over her 9–10am slot for 22 weeks of the year. When her show does air, it will run for just 30 minutes from 9.30am to 10am, rather than an hour.
“It’s been difficult with the cuts — it’s been hard,” she told The Mirror. “I’m a lot happier about it now but it was honestly and genuinely all about the team. I wasn’t angry for me… it was about them.”
The Scottish broadcaster, who has fronted the daytime programme since 2010, said she had been “angry” on behalf of colleagues whose jobs were affected. Reports suggested up to 220 roles across ITV Daytime are at risk out of around 450.
Kelly admitted she had an “inkling” changes were coming, but praised her team for continuing to “punch way above our weight” with high-profile guests despite tighter budgets. “It’s been heartbreaking to lose people I’ve worked with for more than 20 years,” she added.
Speculation had mounted that Kelly might walk away when her current contract ends next year, but she shut down rumours of an early exit. “Absolutely not,” she said. “I’m going to be toddling off that show in my Zimmer frame — and even then, I’ll be coming in. I don’t see me going anywhere until people get fed up.”
Her comments follow reports that ITV bosses had offered her the chance to merge her show with Good Morning Britain for the final 30 minutes of its broadcast — a proposal she is said to have declined.
The overhaul comes as ITV prepares to move Lorraine, This Morning and Loose Women into a shared Covent Garden studio early next year as part of a wider cost-saving restructure.
Despite the shake-up, Kelly remains defiant: “It’s been tough,” she said. “But I still love what I do — and as long as viewers do too, I’ll keep going.”
