Latest news with #NadiaSawalha
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE ITV staff anger as 'tone deaf' bosses throw extravagant 70th anniversary party amid job cuts
ITV bosses have angered staff by throwing an extravagant anniversary party despite announcing major budget cuts and job losses. The broadcaster sent out a companywide invitation this month explaining the bash will be in honour of their 70th birthday after the channel was set up in 1955. 'Celebrate our 70th in style', the invitation reads, 'enjoy delicious food and drinks, Instagram worthy photo opportunities and DJs' as future guests were informed of the one night only event set to take place at a west London location. But ITV staff, who have been told the dress code is 'platinum', feel bosses throwing a party amid hundreds of redundancies is 'tone deaf' and they would rather the expense be used to salvage someone's position. A source told MailOnline that 'no one feels like celebrating right now' after ITV announced Lorraine and Loose Women will be halving the number of jobs and significantly reducing the time they are on air. Panel show Loose Women confirmed they have axed their live studio audience from next year, which presenter Nadia Sawalha said was a 'devastating' change. A TV source explained: 'The feeling among staff is that the channel throwing a party is in really bad taste given hundreds of people are losing their jobs. 'The event will no doubt cost a large amount of money, and many believe that bosses should put those funds towards tying to limit redundancies. 'Many feel the tone is completely off, no one at ITV daytime, which is the biggest part of the business, feels like celebrating right now. 'The company has also made widespread cuts and redundancies across Emmerdale and Coronation Street as well as production labels Lifted, who make Love Island, and Multistory. No one feels throwing a big party right now is appropriate.' As well as the London party, studios in Manchester and Leeds have also been invited to a bash for the 70th anniversary, which ITV bosses feel is an unmissable milestone. A spokesperson for ITV said: 'As ITV marks its 70th anniversary this September we are holding staff events in London, Manchester and Leeds to which all staff at ITV have been invited. 'We're taking this opportunity to thank everyone for their efforts and commitment in continuing to produce award-winning, impactful and entertaining programmes. 'We are of course mindful of the impact the proposed changes to our Daytime productions in 2026 will have on some of our staff and we are working hard to support them.' ITV Studios confirmed last month they are slashing the budgets of its biggest daytime shows including Good Morning Britain, Lorraine, This Morning and Loose Women, meaning more than 220 of 440 staff involved will lose their jobs. This Morning, presented by Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard, will remain the same length while Good Morning Britain is being extended by 30 minutes and for the 22 weeks of the year that Lorraine is not airing, GMB plans to run an extra half hour. MailOnline revealed how Lorraine was given the option to present the last 30 minutes of Good Morning Britain, but she refused the 'insulting' offer and insiders believe her show will only run for another year. Meanwhile, GMB anchor Susanna Reid is reportedly negotiating a longer-term contract to become the 'face of the network.' Loose Woman Nadia has expressed her distress over the looming redundancies, saying she is particularly upset by the fact the show will no longer welcome a studio audience, which means her friend, warmup artist Lee Peart is also losing his job. She said: 'From next year there will be no Loose Women audience. I am totally devastated by this fact, I can't get over it at all.
The Sun
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Skint ITV finds This Morning & Loose Women a BUDGET new home in ‘far cry from plush life stars are used to'
ITV Daytime has found a budget new home after it was savaged by cuts. The department is ditching its swanky West London HQ White City in favour of the basement of a former hospital. 3 3 The Sun can reveal bosses have landed a deal with Covent Garden venue The Hospital Club - which closed in 2020 due to the pandemic. Lorraine, This Morning and Loose Women will all be filmed in the venue's basement of the four story building. A source said: "ITV are on a major budget saving mission and have landed a new deal to film ITV Daytime at what was The Hospital Club. "It's quite apt really as I'm sure they hope the move to the former hospital will breathe some life into their programme budgets. "All three of their main shows, Lorraine, This Morning and Loose Women will be based there... in the basement where there's a state of the art studio." "The changes are needed to keep up with the ever evolving world of TV but it's a far cry from the plush life stars have become accustomed to at White City." An ITV source said: "We have always said that when the changes to our daytime schedule take place in 2026 that these programmes will find a new home. The new studio is not yet confirmed and when it is we will obviously communicate that news to our staff first" Speaking about the cuts last month, Loose Woman Nadia Sawalha called the shake up "brutal". She said on her YouTube channel: "What's been brutal, absolutely brutal, over the last week, honestly I feel tearful about it, is that hundreds of people... are going to be made redundant out of the blue, these are all the people behind the scenes that support us in every way." The shake up comes as streaming officially overtook cable and broadcast TV use in May. Some 44.8 percent of TV viewership was through the newer media platforms. It compares with 20.1 percent watching terrestrial TV — known as broadcast — and 24.1 percent tuning in to cable such as Sky. It is the first time streamers have surpassed the combined total of their rival categories.
Scottish Sun
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Skint ITV finds This Morning & Loose Women a BUDGET new home in ‘far cry from plush life stars are used to'
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) ITV Daytime has found a budget new home after it was savaged by cuts. The department is ditching its swanky West London HQ White City in favour of the basement of a former hospital. Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter Sign up 1 The Sun can reveal ITV Daytime has landed a deal with Covent Garden venue The Hospital Club The Sun can reveal bosses have landed a deal with Covent Garden venue The Hospital Club - which closed in 2020 due to the pandemic. Lorraine, This Morning and Loose Women will all be filmed in the venue's basement of the four story building. A source said: "ITV are on a major budget saving mission and have landed a new deal to film ITV Daytime at what was The Hospital Club. "It's quite apt really as I'm sure they hope the move to the former hospital will breathe some life into their programme budgets. "All three of their main shows, Lorraine, This Morning and Loose Women will be based there... in the basement where there's a state of the art studio." "The changes are needed to keep up with the ever evolving world of TV but it's a far cry from the plush life stars have become accustomed to at White City." An ITV source said: "We have always said that when the changes to our daytime schedule take place in 2026 that these programmes will find a new home. The new studio is not yet confirmed and when it is we will obviously communicate that news to our staff first" Speaking about the cuts last month, Loose Woman Nadia Sawalha called the shake up "brutal". She said on her YouTube channel: "What's been brutal, absolutely brutal, over the last week, honestly I feel tearful about it, is that hundreds of people... are going to be made redundant out of the blue, these are all the people behind the scenes that support us in every way." The shake up comes as streaming officially overtook cable and broadcast TV use in May. Kay Burley joins This Morning in TV return after departure from Sky News Some 44.8 percent of TV viewership was through the newer media platforms. It compares with 20.1 percent watching terrestrial TV — known as broadcast — and 24.1 percent tuning in to cable such as Sky. It is the first time streamers have surpassed the combined total of their rival categories.
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
What happened to EastEnders' 'Italian stallion' Marc Bannerman: Noughties lothario was axed from soap over co-star romance, then battled with booze before falling for Cerys Matthews on I'm A Celeb - while his girlfriend watched in horror
He was the 'Italian stallion' of Albert Square, who was so popular with female viewers that he once donated a sackful of knickers sent to him by lustful female viewers to Oxfam. From 1998 to 2000, Marc Bannerman stole the show in EastEnders as Gianni di Marco, after landing the role by fibbing to producers that he was half Italian, despite being born in Dublin. It was a rapid rise to fame that came crashing down equally quickly when his character was axed, and he descended into depression, piled on weight and turned to the bottle while struggling to cope. He later claimed that the BBC got rid of him because he was in a real-life romance with on-screen girlfriend Nadia Sawalha, and it was dimming his appeal for female fans. But whatever the truth of the matter, it was far from the last time that his romantic liaisons caused a headache. After being briefly linked with actress Suranne Jones in 2005, he found happiness with his Footballer's Wives: Extra Time co-star Sarah Matravers and the pair were said to be discussing starting a family together when he joined the 2007 series of I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! Imagine, then, Sarah's disbelief as he struck up a flirtation with campmate Cerys Matthews, from the Welsh band Catatonia, who had recently ditched her American music producer husband Seth Riddle after four years of marriage. Viewer watched the pair gaze into each other's eyes over the camp fire, having meaningful conversations. They also often cosied up together in the hammock, and fellow campmate John Burton Race even claimed that the pair were intimate under the stars and that producers decided to not air the footage. He told MailOnline: 'There were times when the pair disappeared off together. I have to say that. 'I know what I know. You can guess the rest. We are all grown men and women and know what the game is.' He said: 'There are things the viewers wouldn't have seen or heard in there. Relationships are formed.' Marc confessed he behaved like a 'rat' after breaking Sarah's heart. On the I'm A Celebrity... Coming Out Show he admitted: 'I just developed feelings for someone in there and I've got a Mrs at home, I'm a rat. I can't look for a scapegoat. The buck stops here.' However, he insisted nothing untoward had happened, despite their 'deep' connection. Nothing's going on [with Cerys], we got on fantastically. We bonded quickly. She's a fantastic girl,' he said. 'It's a difficult thing [being in the jungle]. It's a strange scenario.' 'I'm terrified. I'm gonna have to apologise. I've embarrassed her [Sarah] and I've embarrassed myself.' He was then told by Declan Donnelly that Sarah had flown out to Australia to meet him, but had changed her mind after witnessing his antics and was already back in London. While watching footage of himself and Cerys in the jungle, he said: 'I feel sick. I feel for Sarah watching that. I feel really stupid. 'There wasn't any sort of relationship between us in any kind of way. Anyway I can see why Sarah went home.' Visibly shaken, he then called Sarah on his mobile phone. The first words he said before the camera cut away were: 'I'm so sorry babe.' He also wrote an oddly formal letter to Cerys, saying: 'There are many problems in London and I've had to go back to try and sort them out - but I may well return to greet you when you come out, if that is your wish. Marc.' Bannerman flew back to Britain to confront his domestic crisis, but his apology to Sarah ultimately fell on deaf ears. Not only was there no hope of repairing the relationship, she also said there had been explosive rows during their two-year relationship. The father-of-two said that he 'doesn't know what he was doing' with his life before his children were born She revealed that she once reportedly had to stick her hand through a window pane to stop a drink-fuelled fight between them. She told The Sunday Mirror: 'I was very, very scared. I remember thinking, "he's a bloke, he shouldn't be doing this to me".' Sarah then explained how she their fighting, saying: 'I put my arm through the window in pure desperation. It was all I could think of doing. Yes, I've got a scar on my arm from it, but it worked. It stopped. Who knows where it could have gone - we could have unintentionally inflicted really very serious harm on each other.' Speaking about his romance with Cerys, she added: 'I don't care what happens with them now. He's dumped, it's all over and if he thinks he can come back grovelling he can think again. 'It honestly feels like my partner has died... and people don't come back from the dead.' She also claimed that she'd uncovered him cheating with a barmaid in the wake of his jungle tryst. 'Marc lied and cheated and if there's one barmaid, there's got to be more. I find it absolutely disgusting,' she said. Elsewhere in an interview with Closer magazine, Sarah said: 'This is a man she's only known for a week, a man who she knew had a girlfriend. It's either incredibly cold-hearted or incredibly screwed up. They deserve each other and I hope they rot in hell.' 'Thank God I'm not carrying his child. If they do go out, he's bound to cheat again.' Marc went on to have an on-off romance with Cerys, which finally came to an end the following year in 2008. She dumped him just before Valentine's day because, it was said, he could not cope with her responsibilities as a mother. Marc was also reportedly unimpressed with Cerys' wardrobe, commenting on several occasions that she should change outfits. Cerys told the News of The World at the time: 'I remember him saying 'Have you got any other jumpers?' I think he was surprised that I lived so simply, hate shopping and don't have a fancy wardrobe.' Cerys, who had two children at the time, also spoke of the complications being a single mother added to their relationship, explaining he was unable to cope with the kids when she took them to London to stay with him. 'It was a disaster. We all caught a cold and Glenys Pearl was screaming with a fever. We were switching beds all night and I remember Marc saying, 'This could be the rest of my life.' And he looked scared!' Cerys is now a mother-of-three and has been married to former Decay singer Steve Abbott since 2011. Since dating Cerys, Marc has continued to act, although EastEnders remains his most famous role. Last year, he appeared in the action thriller Fyre Rises, and he also had a small part in an episode of the hit Netflix series The Witcher in 2023. He also had a role in the TV series Snatch, a spin-off of the Guy Ritchie film. Marc has kept his personal life out of the spotlight however, during a rare appearance on Channel 4 in 2022, he spoke about his two children, Grace and Leo. Speaking on Steph McGovern's show, Packed Lunch, he said: 'I don't know what I was doing before I was a dad.' Marc was axed from EastEnders 25 years ago, after playing 'Italian stallion' Gianni Di Marco for three years. He explained that he had become depressed after the axe fell on the Di Marcos in EastEnders. He told the Mirror: 'I suffered depression and turned to the bottle to get me out of it.' He added: 'The whole thing was such a shock. It upset me so much that it's only now I feel able to talk about what it did to me. 'I remember feeling very bitter, especially at the way they got rid of us. There was no warning - we were just out. 'I have learnt to cope, but it hasn't been easy. I've not kept in touch with the other Di Marco actors because our departure was so traumatic. When I first found myself out of the show I didn't realise at the time but I started eating all the wrong things and I was boozing far too much.'
Daily Mail
19-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Loose Women star admits 'I'm totally devastated and can't get over it at all' as she reveals 'dear friend' has been AXED from show
Loose Women star Nadia Sawalha has admitted that she's 'totally devastated' after revealing her 'dear friend' has been axed from the ITV show. The popular lunchtime programme, which premiered in 1999, has made headlines in recent weeks after a number of changes. Just last month it was revealed that Loose Women and Lorraine have been axed for half of the year, as ITV Daytime bosses announced huge cuts with job losses in excess of 220. This was then followed by the news that they are going to AXE a vital part of the programme - the live audience - and this means that one of her pals will be left jobless. Addressing the change on a recent episode of her podcast Coffee Moaning, alongside her husband Mark Adeley, Nadia said: 'From next year there will be no Loose Women audience. 'I am totally devastated by this fact, I can't get over it at all. 'Not only because the audience is so important for the show, but also my dear friend Lee who I work with every day.' Comedian, broadcaster and presenter Lee Peart has been part of the team after joining the programme as the warm-up act in 2017. The bio on his website states: 'Lee gigs at all the major comedy clubs across the UK, and has previously supported Jason Manford and Steff Todd on tour. 'As well as being the resident warm-up act for ITV's Loose Women, he has also warmed up audiences for some of the biggest shows on TV, including Strictly Come Dancing, Britain's Got Talent, Netflix's Dance Monsers and Love Island: Aftersun, and was the main stage warm-up for This Morning Live & Loose Women Late.' MailOnline revealed the series are scrapping their live studio audience when the programme airs with a reduced schedule of just 30 episodes next year. Bosses have got rid of the studio audience to save costs, with insiders revealing that it's an expensive feature due to being managed by an external company, who also provides security and a warmup person, but for the presenters, it's going to be a 'disaster.' It comes after ITV announced dramatic budget cuts to their daytime schedule from halving Lorraine to 30 minutes and only airing the show during school term times to cutting Loose Women's output to 30 weeks a year. And sources have told MailOnline how key talent on Loose Women are 'upset' to see the live studio audience go because it's what sets the season apart from Lorraine and Good Morning Britain amid fears viewers will 'switch off' altogether. A TV source told MailOnline: 'The panelists are really upset over the decision to axe the live studio audience from the show. 'It's what sets the series apart from the rest of ITV daytime and now there are massive fears that viewers will switch off completely. 'The only concern now is to cut costs and having a live studio audience can be expensive, with the added need for security and a warmup artist. 'Presenters already know how it feels to broadcast the show without an audience because that's what happened during the pandemic, and they all know it creates low mood and lack of atmosphere.' It comes after it was revealed on Monday after that the Loose Women has been cancelled in yet another ITV schedule shake-up. The programme usually airs Monday to Friday from 12:30pm to 1:30pm on the popular channel. Unfortunately though, Loose Women fans will have to wait until Monday 23 June 2025. At the end of Monday's episode, host Ruth Langsford, 65, said: 'That's it from us today, I'm afraid and actually it gets worse... 'We're not on all week!' She continued: 'ITV's coverage of Ascot will be on, but we will be next Monday, same time 12:30pm, until then, have a lovely week. 'Enjoy the sunshine if you have it. Bye! Instead, This Morning has been airing from 10am to 1pm this week.
