Why Loose Women had to finish early this afternoon

Loose Women is one of the highlights of the daytime TV calendar, but fans of the show were likely left disappointed today.

Normally, the show - which is on Monday to Friday - is on for an hour, between 12.30pm and 1.30pm.

However, today, it was on for just half an hour, meaning the programme finished at 1pm, a lot earlier than fans are used to.

And the reason for Loose Women being cut short was that ITV had to make way for another important programme - the Epsom Derby.

MORE:Kaye Adams stuns in leopard print heels from Duchess of Cornwall’s favourite comfortable shoe brand

Loose Women finished at 1pm to make way for the lunchtime news to air, before the coverage of the popular annual horse racing event began 1.30pm.

Some fans were clearly disappointed that the lunchtime show finished early today, with one writing on social media, 'Damn you racing, not impressed #loosewomen has been cut for the racing. Just stick it on another channel !!!'

The daytime chat show has actually often been cut short for annual racing events ever since the sport made its way over to ITV.

Most recently, the programme was cancelled temporarily whilst the Grand National was on. And with Royal Ascot coming up on 18th June, it's likely that Loose Women will see less air time that week too.

On today's show, guest panellist Brenda Edwards shared a story about her brother, and the man who once saved his life.

MORE:This £4 Tu clothing dress looks just like Ruth Langsford’s – and is perfect for a summer wedding

She told the audience how her brother collapsed after having a heart attack in Bristol, when a kind stranger stopped to give him CPR - a move which saved his life.

On the programme, she revealed that she'd love to find the man who helped her brother on that fateful day. She said, "We don't know who this person is, I tried to phone up the ambulance service, obviously they wouldn't give me his name.

"I said I just want to thank this person. And unbeknownst to me, my brother's been trying to find him, just to say thank you, because without them, he would not be here today."