Loose Women star admits she is ‘absolutely devastated’ as her friend and co-star has been axed in brutal IT ngocc

LOOSE Women star Nadia Sawalha has revealed she’s “devastated” after a friend and co-star was axed from the show amid the brutal ITV budget cuts. 

It was recently reported that as of next year Loose Women will drop its live studio audience as part of a series of cost-cutting changes. 

Now Nadia, 60, has confirmed the huge change and told how it means one of her friends will no longer have a job on the show. 

Speaking in her latest YouTube video with husband Mark Adderley, she said: “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 only because the audience is so important for the show, but also my dear friend Lee who I work with every day.”

Comedian Lee Peart has been the Loose Women warm-up act since 2017. 

Last month it was announced that Loose Women will air for only 30 weeks of the year from January. 

The shock move came as part of broader budget reductions across the channel, which also included halving Lorraine’s airtime to 30 minutes and airing it only during school term times.

Nadia’s fellow Loose Women star  Kaye Adams recently broke her silence on the chaos at Loose Women, admitting she's had sleepless nights over the cuts.

Speaking on her podcast, How To Be 60, Kaye said she felt as though 'the rug had been pulled' from underneath her.

The 62-year-old confessed: “It did come out of the blue.

"I didn’t anticipate it, which is probably stupid in retrospect. You get into a sort of rhythm of life.

"I had a couple of sleepless nights I have to say, because it’s just like the rug’s been pulled from under your feet – what has been familiar.”