Several long-serving panellists from ITV’s Loose Women did not attend the National Television Awards on Wednesday, in what sources described as a deliberate decision amid repeated losses to rival This Morning and looming budget cuts to the daytime programme.
Regular red-carpet attendees such as Ruth Langsford, Nadia Sawalha, Kaye Adams, Coleen Nolan, Jane Moore and Denise Welch were absent despite Loose Women being nominated in the Daytime category. The show was instead represented by Olivia Attwood, Frankie Bridge, Linda Robson, Katie Piper, Charlene White and Kéllé Bryan — about half the number of panellists who turned up in 2024.
An insider told the Daily Mail that the reduced attendance reflected frustration at repeatedly losing the Daytime Award to This Morning and unease among staff as production faces cuts. "Throughout the years, the NTAs has been very well attended by the Loose Women presenters... but this year a lot of them decided not to attend," the source said. "The truth is, the panellists are sick of always missing out to This Morning in the Daytime category."
This Morning won the Daytime Award at the ceremony on Wednesday night, beating Loose Women and other nominees. The Daily Mail report said the decision by many Loose Women panellists to skip the ceremony was also influenced by concern for colleagues: the programme is due to be cut from airing 52 weeks a year to 30, a change that producers have warned could put hundreds of production jobs at risk. The same report said the show will no longer feature a live studio audience or celebrity guests because of reduced resources.
Last year, at least a dozen Loose Women presenters attended the NTAs in the hope of winning after This Morning dealt with high-profile presenter changes in 2023, including Phillip Schofield’s departure and Holly Willoughby standing down. The following awarding of the Daytime trophy to The Chase left some panellists reportedly reluctant to return to the NTAs, the source said.
Olivia Attwood, who presented the award for Factual Entertainment on the night, walked the red carpet with other cast members tied to current and upcoming projects. Stacey Solomon — who has made occasional appearances on Loose Women in recent years — attended because her shows Sort Your Life Out and Stacey & Joe were nominated; she did not win in her categories.
The NTAs also featured several notable absences unrelated to Loose Women. Ant & Dec were not present as they were filming in South Africa; they lost the Best Presenter award to Gary Lineker for the first time in 23 years. Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly were not at the ceremony despite nominations, and some stars linked to winning programmes, including James Corden and cast members of Gavin & Stacey, were also absent.
Organisers announced a range of winners across categories, with programmes such as Gavin & Stacey and EastEnders among those recognised. The Daytime Award has long been contested by This Morning and Loose Women, and the latest results mark another win for the former.
ITV has previously signalled changes to its daytime strategy as part of wider cost-saving measures. The reduction in weeks and the removal of a live audience were first reported by the Daily Mail, which said production staff could face redundancies. Loose Women has not issued a detailed comment in response to those reports; the Daily Mail said it had contacted a Loose Women spokesperson for comment.
The National Television Awards remain one of Britain’s highest-profile audience-voted television ceremonies, often prompting campaigns from shows and viewers. For Loose Women, the combination of repeated NTA defeats and announced production changes has coincided with decreased red-carpet representation this year, reflecting internal tensions and concern for behind-the-scenes staff as the programme adapts to a reduced schedule.