Prior to significant shake-ups at the channel in January, an axed Loose Women actress and actress made their emotional final appearance on the ITV chatshow.
It was revealed earlier this year that Lee Peart – Loose Women’s long-standing warm-up act, would be saying goodbye to the show from the New Year, after show bosses decided to axe the live audience.
And on Monday’s This Morning, funnyman Lee – who has been making audiences chuckle before Loose Women since 2017 – kicked off his final week on the morning chatshow, hosting the competition live on-air before his sad departure.
A job normally given to usual hosts Jeff Brazier or Kate Lawler, Lee – who was seen reporting live from Warwick castle, as he gave out details while skating round an ice rink, was given the gig to mark his imminent departure from the show for good.
READ MORE: Victoria Beckham’s £37 lipstick hailed ‘pure class’ as it earns shoppers compliments
Lee had been sharing heartfelt condolences with a number of panelists on social media over the past few weeks, some of whom he has known since he first started working with.
Earlier this month, he revealed on Facebook that it would be a “bittersweet end of an era”.
He added, “Two weeks today will be my final Loose Women! A bittersweet end of an era… the goodbyes are starting as it’s the last time I’ll work with Ruth, Gloria and Kellie in this capacity!”
He then posed for a happy selfie with panelist Denise Welch, who had earlier admitted to feeling “so sad” that the comedian would no longer be on the program.
Lee’s sad news first came to light back in July, when panellist Nadia Sawahla said in a YouTube video: “From next year there will be no Loose Women audience. I am totally devastated by this fact, I can’t get over it at all.
“Not just because the audience is so important to the show, but also my dear friend Lee, with whom I collaborate every day. “
Fans will be able to tune into an exciting new project from Lee come 2026, however – a brand-new wine podcast with his pal, Celebrity Traitors winner Alan Carr – and no doubt, a whole lot of laughs, too.
Bottoms Up! has a unique episode. delves into questions about how to drink rosé or how to handle a disappointing bottle at the table while bringing up wine-related fun chat, gossip, and chaos.
When Lee and Lee discussed their new venture together recently on Lorraine, she said, “If you go to a fancy restaurant, you have no excuses when you say to the waiter, “Oh, what’s this dish? ” However, you start to feel a little intimidated by the wines. We’re attempting to explain it to the public.
“We have experts coming on, just giving you advice and stuff,” Alan said, “because sometimes it’s overwhelming when you’re buying wine and everything else.” Additionally, there aren’t many deals there.
Come January, amid cuts at ITV daytime, both Loose Women and Lorraine will be airing for just 30 weeks of the year, rather than the usual year-long broadcast – as well as being reduced to 30 minutes per episode.
Given that there won’t be as many episodes of each year, on-air stars won’t appear as frequently as they once did with the big changes.
