Richard Madeley was forced to renegotiate his role on Good Morning Britain to avoid being axed from the programme amid ITV’s ongoing ‘bloodbath’ of cuts.
The daytime TV presenter has agreed to a new part-time deal to stay on the show.
Meanwhile, fellow ITV star Lorraine Kelly will see out her reported £500,000 contract before leaving the network at the end of next year.
This comes amid a massive shake-up of ITV’s daytime programming, with cuts described by an inside source as a “bloodbath” set to lose more than 220 jobs amounting to nearly half the current staff of these shows.
A source told the Sun: “This one has really rocked the ITV corridors because Richard is such a big name and a legend of daytime telly.
“On Wednesday, word started to spread he’d been axed, that his contract wasn’t going to be renewed when it expired in December, so there was a great deal of shock.”
“But, by Friday, it became apparent Richard had a meeting with the network’s most senior bosses and he’s now being kept on in a more part-time role.
“He’s got himself back on the show — but his hours are significantly cut.”
The source added that Lorraine Kelly was asked to leave her show after having recently celebrated her 40 years on breakfast TV, but instead opted to stay for as long as her current contract would allow.
Lorraine’s segment had already been reduced from one hour to just 30 minutes and will air only 30 weeks a year, down from the current 52.
Good Morning Britain will be extended by 30 minutes, running from 6am to 9:30am. For the 22 weeks that Lorraine is not airing, GMB will take over the additional half hour, continuing until 10am.
Richard Madeley had been expected to remain in retirement after having co-hosted ITV’s This Morning show from 1988 to 2001.
He made an unexpected return to daytime television in 2021 when he replaced Piers Morgan on Good Morning Britain following a row over Harry and Meghan which saw Morghan leave the show.
Madeley presents GMB alongside Susanna Reid, who is now in talks with ITV to secure a top-dollar deal that may see her host the show for the next two years, the Sun reports.
A source told the Sun: “Susanna has been in a series of strictly confidential meetings to secure a new two-year deal. She’s the face of the network now alongside Ant and Dec, and will help to steer the ship amid a time of uncertainty.
“She has more than proven her worth and bosses are keen to secure her long-term.”
The Sun also reports that the changes being made by ITV are causing significant friction amongst staff behind the scenes.
One crew member said: “Most of us were completely blindsided by the announcement, with many of us feeling that we’d had the rug pulled from beneath us.
“There has been a lot of tears behind the scenes and outrage at just how much money the on-screen talent are taking home.”
ITV said: “We will not comment on speculation. Our daytime schedule and shows remain exactly as they are until the end of this year.
“We have always said our intention is to keep our daytime shows as familiar to viewers as possible, which includes seeing presenters they know and love.”
