Loose Women star reveals 'if we've still got jobs' worry amid ITV budget cuts

Loose Women star Linda Robson admitted her worry over her job as a panellist as the ITV budget cuts take place early next year. Earlier this year, it was confirmed by ITV that there will be some serious budget cuts, affecting most of the major shows that they broadcast. ITV announced that from 2026 there will be major changes to some of viewers favourite TV shows and when they're aired. Coronation Street and Emmerdale will adjust their schedule as well as Lorraine and Good Morning Britain. While Loose Women will still air, it will only be for 30 weeks of the year instead of 52 from January 2026. There will also no longer be a live audience for the panel to react to. Linda Robson has been on the panel since 2012, replacing Jenny Eclair. She had previously appeared as a guest panellist a few times before becoming a regular. The 67-year-old panellist told The Mirror: "It’s hopefully back in January, if we’ve still got jobs. "We have to wait and find out. My first job was in a fish and chip shop so I might have to go back to the fish and chip shop!" However, her co-star Coleen Nolan has previously confirmed that the panellists are safe from the cuts. She shared: "No, (the producers) have just got to work it out because we'll only be on air for 30 weeks. But there's no mention of anyone going. "We have to have a big pool of women because a lot of us are mothers and grandmothers and have other jobs outside of it. That's why it's great – then they've always got cover." She added that the morale behind the scenes on Loose Women is "amazing again" now that there's clarity. Coleen explained: "When it was first announced, morale was low, purely because of all the amazing people behind the scenes losing jobs. It was really sad, but now we all know what's going on, the morale is amazing again. "It's going to be a massive loss not being able to have a (studio) audience, but the stories of backstage bickering are so fake. They're like my second family, it's like having extra sisters." Loose Women airs on weekdays from 12:30pm on ITV1 and is available to stream on ITVX.