Vanessa Feltz breaks her silence after her Channel 5 show is axed as she says she is 'shocked to the core' over the decision

Vanessa Feltz has broken her silence after being 'blindsided' by Channel 5 bosses' decision to axe her daytime chat show after just one year on air.

The seasoned presenter, 64, was brought into a meeting this week and told the news, the Daily Mail revealed on Thursday. 

Sources close to the show say she was left furious and stormed out of the studios in tears following the tense discussion.

Now she has spoken about the show coming to an end for the first time as she addressed what had happened on her LBC show on Saturday.

She said: 'It was a bit of a shock. It was meant to be a delightful year's contract, the show was going really well…

'I was shocked to the core and very upset and I still am. It was only Wednesday at 3 o'clock that I found out.

'It apparently comes from Paramount, who bought Channel 5.

'They want to show Paramount movies every afternoon at two. It doesn't cost them any money because they already own them. I don't think I really came into the equation at all.'

An insider told The Daily Mail earlier this week: 'Vanessa was brought into a meeting after her show came off air this week.

'She had no idea what the meeting was about and certainly didn't expect to be told it was not being renewed.

'She feels so blindsided but also let down by bosses.'

Her show, which airs on Channel 5 weekdays at 2pm for an hour, has been consistently targeted by scam callers during their phone-ins for months now.

The Daily Mail understands extremely low ratings for the programme are to blame for the cancellation, but also not being able to get a grip on nuisance calls.

Our insider continued: 'Producers tried their best to crack down on the calls by limiting just landline users to phone in, but that was decided to be too restrictive given today's technology and accessibility.

'Vanessa has given her all to the show, she left a very good role on This Morning which is already long established for this gig.

'She is truly devastated, but also for her team too, many of whom will now need to find new jobs.'

One source added: 'Channel 5 and Vanessa are in discussions to work together in the future.'  

A Channel 5 spokesperson said: 'Due to afternoon scheduling changes, 'Vanessa' will be rested from July 17th. We thank Vanessa and her team at ITN for 18 months of warm, witty, wise and searingly honest shows. Vanessa remains a valued member of the 5 family and we are discussing future projects together.'

The programme, which is produced by ITN - the same firm who make Good Morning Britain and ITV News, was launched in March 2025.

Since then, it has had three refreshes to its set and logo in a bid by bosses to attract viewers.

Another TV source said: 'Terrestrial television is on the decline and even the most established shows are haemorrhaging viewers. Ultimately, the show is just not viable to keep on air.'

Her self-titled show was first broadcast by ITV from 1994 until 1998.

In January, she was said to be 'fighting' for her Channel 5 show after it relaunched and bosses revamped the studio.

The programme attracts an average 50,000 viewers per 70 minute show - significantly lower than competitor Jeremy Vine.