Loose Women stars boycott NTAs after losing out to rivals This Morning for years amid looming budget cuts

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The stars of Loose Women chose not to attend the National Television Awards on Wednesday night, following a long history of losing to This Morning, while facing potential cost reductions for their program.

Despite nominations for the awards show, regular attendees such as Ruth Langsford, Nadia Sawalha, Kaye Adams, Coleen Nolan, Jane Moore, and Denise Welch, often associated with ITV, did not make an appearance last night.

In the previous year, approximately twelve members of the Loose Women crew went to the NTAs with aspirations of winning the Daytime Award. However, when The Chase won the award, several panel members expressed their intention to cease attending future events, in a bid to sidestep potential embarrassment.

The show was presented at a lavish gathering that took place at London’s O2 arena, with Olivia Attwood, Frankie Bridge, Linda Robson, Katie Piper, Charlene White, and Kéllé Bryan in attendance; however, this was only half the number of panelists who were there in 2024.

According to reliable sources speaking to The Daily Mail, it appears that the low turnout was intentional. Many hosts seemed unenthusiastic about celebrating, likely due to impending job cuts within the show’s behind-the-scenes team.

According to reports from inside the event, the Loose Women presenters have historically enjoyed attending the NTAs. This annual gathering is often marked as one of their favorite events on the calendar. However, this year, many of them chose not to show up.

Over time, the panelists have found it embarrassing to consistently lose out to ‘This Morning in the Daytime’ in their category. They’ve grown weary of this repeated pattern.

As a die-hard daytime TV enthusiast, I’ve got to say, it’s no secret that “This Morning” and “Loose Women” are always front-runners when it comes to the Daytime Awards. On the flip side, it’s a rare occurrence for “Lorraine” and “Good Morning Britain” to snag a nomination.

At the NTAs, there’s often an air of anticipation, as if this might be their year, because they genuinely feel they are worthy contenders for a victory.

In the previous year, they had confidently anticipated winning the award following the departure of Phil and Holly from ‘This Morning’. However, when ‘The Chase’ emerged as the victor instead, there was a collective feeling of disappointment among them.

They noted that under current circumstances, several panelists aren’t particularly keen on celebrating at this moment. The reason being that they’re still a few months away from facing significant cuts to the show’s budget, which could potentially lead to job losses for many involved in production.

It seemed out of place for many to participate in a grand, glamorous gathering amidst so much sorrow.

Last year, it was hoped that Loose Women would triumph in the Daytime Award, as This Morning faced controversy after Philip Schofield’s dismissal and Holly Willoughby subsequently stepping down. However, despite these events, they did not manage to secure the honor instead.

The Daily Mail has contacted a spokesperson at Loose Women for comment. 

Despite asserting that she hasn’t left the show, Stacey Solomon didn’t win at the NTAs, even though she was nominated on three separate occasions over the last two years, despite her infrequent appearances on Loose Women.

At the event, it was a family outing, with the mother, her five kids, and her husband Joe Swash in attendance. Regrettably, they didn’t manage to win that particular evening.

Last night at the NTAs, hosted by haircare brand Giovanni Cosmetics, one of the event’s behind-the-scenes collaborators, Ant and Dec, faced a rare defeat in the Best Presenter category, which they had won for 23 consecutive years, with Gary Lineker taking the prize instead.

The pair didn’t attend the event since they were busy shooting the All Star edition of I’m A Celeb in South Africa. Notably, other stars like them from the Loose Women team were also absent on that evening.

The popular host of the show, Claudia Winkleman, was not present at the event, even though their show had been recognized with a nomination in the Reality Competition category.

As a faithful companion on the Strictly stage, I’ve always shared the limelight with my partner-in-crime, Tess Daly. However, this year, just like me, she decided to take a break from attending the ceremony.

Furthermore, although Gavin & Stacey won the category for Best Comedy, its co-creator, James Corden, was not present at the awards ceremony. Instead, key cast members Matthew Horne and Joanna Page attended the event.

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2025-09-11 14:03