With big stars rumoured to be set to walk, bosses at ITV could be left with a crisis on their hands
WORDS: ANNA MATHESON. PHOTOS: SHUTTERSTOCK
The show has a revolving cast of some of the biggest female names on TV, and a spot on the Loose Women panel is coveted by many in the business. But could some of the show’s biggest names be about to walk away from the ITV stalwart lunchtime show for good?
While rumours of fall-outs between co-stars are rife, this time the trouble at Loose Women seems to be over pay. The panel, which includes big names like Charlene White, Kaye Adams, Coleen Nolan, Ruth Langsford, Janet Street-Porter and Linda Robson, may well be in for a complete shake-up if the – as yet unnamed – stars make good on their promise to quit.
FORCED TO DECIDE
According to reports, some of the Loose ladies have been in disputes with ITV bosses behind the scenes. The row boils down to changes over tax legislation. It’s been reported ITV has been hit by HMRC, with the broadcasting giant now being forced to decide whether roles are employed or self-employed. Many of the Loose Women are understood to be working on a self-employed basis. Should the network decide they are to go onto PAYE contracts, their tax would rise from 19% corporation tax (last financial year) to 40% on earnings between £50,271 and £150,000, plus National Insurance.
Sources have now claimed that some of the show’s biggest names have threatened to walk away if the situation does not get resolved. A source said, ‘They have all been self-employed for decades. Their accountants are saying they’re self-employed… and are not going to go on PAYE. They’re so strict about it and we’re talking about the big players.’
It’s not the first time that an ITV star has been hit with an unexpected bill – former This Morning host Eamonn Holmes has spoken out about the taxman wanting ‘10 years of backdated National Insurance’ as his former jobs, including his stint at ITV, ‘were staff jobs rather than self-employed’. Eamon
