At the moment when the ITV bosses concluded their emergency summit with the staff this week, during which they were told an imminent blood bath, they asked for only one of those present for an individual meeting.
That person, of course, was Lorraine Kelly.
After his three decades with the station, he was perhaps the most courteous they could have done for the Scottish host that has become synonymous with the network.
The task of talking with Lorraine fell to the head of ITV, Emma Gormley, the former editor of the morning program of Lorraine and her protector for several years. She had the difficult task of delivering the news to Lorraine that they were cutting their 30 -week show per year, and that it would be reduced from a full hour to only half an hour.
You cannot move away from the fact that this was a terrible shock for Lorraine.
«No one was informed about these cuts,» a fountain told me this week. ‘Not a soul knew what was happening, not even Lorraine. The bosses could not tell anyone, since they did not want to be crawling, so the first thing he knew was when they told him to attend the meeting like everyone else. Then he had his own staff.
For their colleagues, some of which take in their absence of organization tasks, citing the fact that in 2024 he anchored less than 60 percent of the episodes of his homonymous program, this last development was very time.
The head show of Lorraine Kelly has been cut to 30 weeks per year and was reduced from one hour to only half an hour
Many of the upper levels prefer the host to cover it, the very dear Christine Lampard, and the absence of Lorraine had «become a joke» according to a source.
Since it was revealed on Tuesday that Good Morning Britain would take half of Lorraine’s space, and thus expand its time in the air, I have been flooded with stories of those who have worked with it over the years.
Many employees expressed relief that, finally, he has lost his power and grip on the channel, and asked that the show be delivered to Christine Lampard full time.
«Lorraine’s program did not qualify well,» said a source. ‘The show is horrible, that is the wide view in ITV. Getting a job in Lorraine was seen as a springboard to get to this morning or GMB, for example.
I can reveal that there is also a significant sensation in some ITV quarters that Lorraine lost her ‘relatability’ with her spectators with her feet on the ground in 2019 after she won an appeal against HMRC on a tax bill of £ 1.2 million.
Lorraine, who received the bill as part of the repression of HMRC in the personal service companies used by a large number of stars used by national stations, argued that she was not an employee of the corporation, but that she was an independent professional and, therefore, should not be subject to the contribution of income taxes and the contributions of the national insurance.
As part of his case, Lorraine, 65, said that when she organized her program she did not appear as herself, but was playing a role ‘of a friendly, spoiler and funny personality’, who required that she presented ‘a person of herself’.
ITV bosses apparently prefer Christine Lampard, who would step forward in the absence of Lorraine
Lorraine, of course, was excited when Judge Jennifer Dean ruled that she could be described as a «theatrical artist» and an «independent star», which means that he was saved from that mass tax bill, and payments to her agent allowed themselves as a deductible tax expense.
However, despite this victory, which causes great celebrations in the Lorraine camp, in retrospect, one can see that it has a cost.
«Lorraine has always been seen as the smiling and realistic host,» said ITV’s privileged information. «She was the one who fought with her weight, she was the normal working mother, she was not as glamorous as some of her co -star and that is why she gave her her own show.
‘He was seen as someone with whom the spectators had something in common. But when the fiscal problem happened, things changed.
«Yes, she saved a lot of money but at what cost?
To add salt to the wound, the changes made it clear that Susanna Reid de Gmb is now the preeminent female presenter of ITV. Reid, a professional consummated for his relentless work ethics, is the only host safe in the next cuts that will see 220 employees lose their jobs.
Certainly, it is a spectacular fall of Grace for Lorraine, who began his television career in 1984 when he joined TV-AM as a correspondent of Scotland. He made his name four years later with his reports on the Lockerbie disaster when the 103 AM flight exploded on the city of Edgers killing 270 people on board and on the ground.
Lorraine helped launch the ITV GMTV along with Michael Wilson, left, and Eamonn Holmes, to the right
His ability caught the attention of the London bosses and was invited to the capital to present the TV-AM Summer Sunday program and then be a cover anchor for the main program from Monday to Friday.
In January 1993, he went on to launch the TV-AM replacement program, GMTV, presenting with Eamonn Holmes, and quickly struggled more for spectators.
In 2010 she was rewarded with her own show, and to consolidate her value to the channel, she is called her. She was part of the furniture in ITV. And she knew.
Lorraine was not the only show that will face the executioner’s scythe this week. Loose Women, the long panel exhibition that celebrated its 25th anniversary last year, was reduced from 52 weeks a year to 30, although its execution time will remain the same at 60 minutes.
This morning, whose presenters include Cat Deeley, Ben Shephard, Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary, remains intact.
Some experts insist that, despite the drama that surrounds the departures of Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby, the program is still seen as the Jewel of the Crown of ITV and is considered a «success story.»
However, others have disclosed that the chiefs «will come» for the show at a later date.
Other developments saw a shake in GMB: the program will now be done by ITN, with the staff and probably presenters, merged.
In general, the changes, which are the largest in the history of the network, are part of a dramatic cost savings exercise that will begin in January.
The humiliation is deep for Lorraine, who recently became grandmother after her daughter Rosie gave birth to a girl named Billie.
And what worsens a terrible situation is that this was his protector, Emma Gormley, was in charge of telling him. Gormley had protected her for so many years amid visualization figures, which reached its maximum point at 1.1 maps in 2010, the year of the launch of the program.
He proved that Gormley herself seems to have been marginalized from the Schofield scandal, which saw him expelled this morning in the middle of a fall with the Holly co -star. Gormley lost a battle of power with the new IV news director Andrew Dagnall and last year, the chief of entertainment of the channel, Katie Rawcliffe, was appointed director of entertainment and day, sliding the role of Gormley of her.
«Emma ran Lorraine and that meant she had this loyalty towards her and wanted to keep her in operation,» said a former associate of women. ‘Lorraine was the only show that Emma produced before being promoted to be in charge of the entire list of the day.
«But now Emma’s power seems to have been removed from her and Boom, Lorraine is gone.»
Now rumors are turning that Lorraine will completely give up, maybe even deciding to retire.
«It’s deadly for Lorraine,» said a friend of his. Imagine after all those years that your tenmic show in such a way.
‘She is a grandmother now, she is 65 years old, she could get a job elsewhere and knows. So now you are waiting for Tinterhooks to see if you will decide to walk completely.
And there would be many shed tears?
«Absolutely not,» said an ITV employee.
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