Richard Madeley is one of Britain’s best-loved presenters, earning £300,000 per year – but he struggled to cling on to his lucrative ITV contract this week

Richard Madeley reportedly faced the axe before a last-minute deal (Image: Getty)

Good Morning Britain host Richard Madeley was one of the latest to be affected by ITV’s sweeping cuts, with him reportedly facing the axe altogether at one point. The 69-year-old was eventually able to negotiate a new contract with channel bosses, but it will reportedly see his work-load reduced to part-time hours – and he’ll get a pay cut.

Meanwhile, 65-year-old Lorraine Kelly was reportedly asked to retire, but she refused – and sources claim she’ll see her £500,000 per year contract through until it expires at the end of 2026. The morning TV star had just celebrated four decades of breakfast shows, and even won a BAFTA in 2024 for her contributions to entertainment – but she is now likely to disappear from screens altogether in just a year and a half. A source published in the Daily Mail stated: “This one has really rocked the ITV corridors because Richard is such a big name and a legend of daytime telly.

Richard Madeley with Ranvir Singh on ITV’s GMB (Image: ITV)

“On Wednesday, word started to spread he’d been axed, but, by Friday, it became apparent Richard had a meeting with the network’s most senior bosses and he’s now being kept on in a more part-time role. He’s got himself back on the show — but his hours are significantly cut.”

The source also referenced Lorraine Kelly, claiming she’d rejected the retirement offer and “instead chose to see out her contract”.

Express has contacted representatives for both Lorraine and Richard Madeley for comment.

Although Lorraine is not retiring just yet, she has borne the brunt of brutal ITV cuts, with Good Morning Britain to take her early morning slot from 9-10am for 22 weeks of the year.

Lorraine Kelly won a BAFTA at last year’s TV Awards – but now her hours on screen have been cut (Image: Getty)

On the remaining 30 weeks, Lorraine will present personally, meaning her Friday stand-ins Ranvir Singh and Christine Lampard will reportedly no longer be required.

Moreover, GMB will in future be presented by ITN – the organisation that produces ITV News – instead of ITV Studios, as part of the shake-up.

According to reports, the decisions have been taken to free up more of the ITV budget for drama programming.

However, This Morning – which was previously rocked by scandals and saw the loss of both Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby in the same year – remains unchanged, with Alison Hammond, Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard unaffected by the cuts.

Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby