Overview

• ITV’s May announcement merged production teams on its daytime lineup and cut Loose Women and Lorraine to 30 weeks a year, though the current panel remains unchanged.
• Welch returned to Loose Women this month to defend its place as the only daytime show that reveres older women’s views.
• After a relapse of depression and anxiety before Christmas, she has since resumed work and credited CBT and sobriety support for stabilizing her mental health.
• She revealed that LighterLife’s CBT-based programme helped her lose two-and-a-half stones and overhaul her approach to emotional eating.
• Welch plans to step back from presenting in 2026 to reignite her stage and screen career.