Loose Women pulled for day as ITV schedule shake-up prompts viewer confusion

Loose Women was pulled from ITV's daytime schedule on Friday in a last‑minute shake‑up that replaced the regular 12:30 p.m. panel show with live coverage of the Newmarket races. The one‑off change redirected a three‑hour slot on ITV1 to racing, with Ed Chamberlin anchoring the coverage of the Joel Stakes and the Princess Royal Stakes as racing fans were kept up to date on developments from the track. The decision left fans expecting the familiar panel, including Nadia Sawalha, Kaye Adams, Judi Love and Oti Mabuse, surprised and vocal on social media as they were unable to tune in to the usual lunchtime discussion.

Viewers quickly took to social media to question why the fan‑favorite talk show, which last year received a BAFTA nomination, was not on air. The scheduling shift meant the Loose Women format did not fill the regular Friday slot, and instead racing coverage dominated the afternoon on ITV1. The racing block was planned to extend into Saturday, with a two‑and‑a‑half hour slot from 1:30 p.m. to cover events including the Middle Park Stakes, the Cheveley Park Stakes, and the Cambridgeshire Meeting, as well as additional racing at Haydock Park.

Kaye Adams, 62, later told viewers that Loose Women would resume on Monday as normal, explaining at the end of Thursday's show that the group would be back after the racing break. The shift came with a note that viewers would see Tony Blackburn join the panel on Monday, alongside soap stars Jaye Griffiths and Lindsay Coulson, underscoring the planned return to the usual lineup once the racing schedule concludes.

The move occurred amid ongoing personal storytelling on the show. On Thursday, Nadia Sawalha spoke emotionally about her husband Mark's struggles with addiction and mental health issues, describing how she has supported him and drawn on resilience through difficult times. The discussion touched on broader themes of mental health and caregiving, with Nadia reflecting on the challenges of guiding a loved one through periods of ill mental health and the dynamics of their relationship.

The Friday change was not acknowledged on This Morning, which aired earlier in the day, leaving some viewers uncertain about the absence of the usual Loose Women programming. ITV representatives have described the Friday airing as a one‑off shake‑up, with the show set to return to its regular time slot on Monday.

Loose Women continues to air on ITV1 on weekdays at 12:30 p.m., and the program is expected to resume its standard format in the coming week as the racing coverage concludes and the panel reconvenes for new episodes.