'They can change lives - and do!' - former ITV editor reflects on importance of daytime TV amidst drastic cuts

Former This Morning editor, Martin Frizell, has spoken out to strongly oppose proposed cuts to the ITV daytime schedule.

Martin, husband of former ITV daytime presenter, Fiona Phillips, stepped back from his role as editor of the iconic show in 2024, to care for Fiona in the wake of her Alzheimer's diagnosis.

Writing on Instagram, Martin said, "Programmes like Lorraine, This Morning and Loose Women are more important than just ratings ponies, they can change lives and do! No other daytime channel has had such impact."

As part of the plans, it's thought that 220 jobs at the station could be lost. Lorraine is expected be cut from an hour to 30 minutes, and will run for just 30 weeks of the year instead of all year.

Similarly, Loose Women will remain running in its current slot, but will also be cut to air on just 30 weeks of the year.

By suggesting such daytime shows "change lives," Martin champions Helen Addis, an ITV producer and breast cancer campaigner.

Helen was just 39-years-old when she was diagnosed with the disease. After chatting with other women and finding they didn't check their breasts regularly, she founded the Check + Change campaign.

This includes the placement of a simple sticker on changing room mirrors reminding people to check themselves for signs of breast cancer.

Many retailers support the initiative, and as well as being discussed in Parliament, Lorraine Kelly uses her show to promote the campaign and raise awareness of breast cancer detection.

In light of recent announcements that Check + Change has now helped over 150 women identify their breast cancer, Martin appears concerned that removing the daytime shows promoting such important campaigns is a risky move.

His Instagram post depicts a video of Helen Addis at 10 Downing Street. He writes, "This is the superstar producer at ITV Daytime whose breast cancer campaign on Lorraine has saved hundreds of lives."

"The latest being Davina McCall, who saw the check your boobs poster in a studio toilet and found a lump. I’ve known Helen Addis MBE a long time, she ran my New York bureau at GMTV before contracting cancer herself."

Kevin Lygo, managing director of ITV's media and entertainment division, says, "Daytime is a really important part of what we do."

"These scheduling and production changes will enable us to continue to deliver a schedule providing viewers with the news, debate and discussion they love from the presenters they know and trust, as well as generating savings which will allow us to reinvest across the programme budget in other genres.

"These changes also allow us to consolidate our news operations and expand our national, international and regional news output and to build upon our proud history of trusted journalism at a time when our viewers need accurate, unbiased news coverage more than ever."