Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, has reportedly been removed from ITV's daytime line-up, including guest spots on Loose Women and This Morning, after resurfaced correspondence with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein contradicted earlier public denials and prompted several charities to sever ties.
Reports that ITV will no longer book Ferguson follow the publication of a 2011 email in which she is said to have described Epstein as a 'steadfast, generous and supreme friend', weeks after publicly disowning him and repaying money he gave her.
ITV's Decision and What Was Reported
Multiple media outlets citing network insiders and production sources say Ferguson, who has guested on Loose Women and stood in as a presenter on This Morning in recent years, will not be invited back to the shows, and there are said to be 'no plans' for future ITV projects involving her.
Several reports add that executives, conscious of viewer sentiment and sponsor concerns, have moved quickly to distance the channel from further association. ITV has been approached for an on-the-record statement; a spokesperson for the broadcaster declined to comment to some outlets.
The Metro first reported that Ferguson had been axed from Loose Women, a story that has been repeated across tabloid and trade titles, citing ITV insiders. Where the coverage relies on anonymous sources, readers should note that ITV itself has not published a formal press release confirming a ban on future appearances.
The Email, the Past Interview, and the New Fallout
The current controversy traces back to two strands of record, a 2011 interview with the Evening Standard in which Ferguson publicly apologised for accepting money from Epstein and vowed to 'have nothing ever to do with Jeffrey Epstein ever again', and a contemporaneous private email, later published by British papers, that appears to contradict that public stance.
In that private message, Ferguson is reported to have written, 'You have always been a steadfast, generous, and supreme friend to me and my family'. The resurfacing of those messages in September 2025 triggered immediate action from charities and renewed questions about her judgement.
Charities that once benefited from Ferguson's patronage moved quickly. Organisations including the Teenage Cancer Trust, Julia's House, and others announced they had ended formal relationships following publication of the correspondence.
The swift cascade of disassociations, a mix of reputational caution and public pressure, is the proximate cause of the television fallout.
Ferguson's Public Defence and the Wider Context
Ferguson's public record since has included repeated expressions of regret over taking money to clear debts, various reports cite a payment of about £15,000 ($20,000), and explanations from her representatives that some private messages were written under duress or legal pressure.
Her camp has argued the private correspondence must be read in context, saying she feared litigation and was trying to protect her work as a children's author and philanthropist. These claims have not satisfied critics and have re-energised debate about accountability among public figures who are associated with Epstein.
The Duchess's more recent media appearances complicate public reaction. In a December 2024 interview published in The Sunday Times, Ferguson spoke warmly of Prince Andrew and of their continued relationship, saying she 'would do it all over again, 100 per cent' when asked about marrying him, comments that underlined her loyalty to the Duke of York even as his own reputation remained damaged by his association with Epstein.
Those remarks, when read in the context of the newly resurfaced emails, have intensified scrutiny of the couple's networks and choices.
Ferguson's television future now hangs on whether she can persuade the public, her former partners and potential commissioners that the context of the past explains and excuses choices that many regard as indefensible.
