Express: ITV axes huge breakfast TV show segment in brutal new cost-cutting

Story from Express:

Andi Peters and Jeff Brazier will reportedly no longer be sent abroad as ITV have been forced to cut their all-expenses-paid lavish trips. Over the past year, the duo have jetted off to a number of sun-soaked locations to front ITV competitions, appearing on the likes of Good Morning Britain, Lorraine, This Morning and Loose Women. Andi's locations have included the Maldives, Australia, Cape Town, and Florida, while Jeff has been sent to Thailand, Sri Lanka and Malta.

However, channel executives believe it's in "bad taste" to continue flying presenters to exotic destinations after announcing hundreds of redundancies across ITV as part of cost-saving measures. A source told MailOnline: "ITV have scaled back on sending top talent overseas to present their competition segments. The competitions themselves, which give viewers the chance to win six figure sums and idyllic holidays, bring in a great deal of revenue, but constantly flying the likes of Andi and Jeff to the Maldives and South Africa was starting to frustrate staff and viewers alike."

The insider continued: "It was decided that they would dial down for a few weeks after the budget cuts were announced and no one has flown overseas to present the competitions since.

"As well as there being a backlash online from disgruntled viewers, it was felt continuing to send talent abroad to luxurious holiday destinations as others are losing their jobs would be in bad taste."

Express Online has contacted ITV for comment.

ITV's budget cuts were announced last month, with a number of programmes taking a hit as the broadcaster battles a mounting financial crisis.

From January 2026, Lorraine will lose its long-standing hour-long slot. The programme, presented by Lorraine Kelly, will now air from 9.30am to 10am.

Its airtime has been slashed in half, and the talk show has also been restricted only being broadcast 30 weeks of the year.

As part of the shake-up, Good Morning Britain will have its current 6am to 9am slot permanently extended until 9.30am.

During the 22 weeks Lorraine is off-air, Good Morning Britain will extend its run until 10am, adding an extra hour to its original schedule.

While This Morning will still be broadcast from 10.30am to 12.30pm, Loose Women is another show being scaled back. The daytime programme will now air on a seasonal basis for just 30 weeks a year.

According to MailOnline, Loose Women is set to scrap their live audience due to the ongoing budget cuts.