Vanessa Feltz has become the latest star to flee the TalkTV ship, as the channel prepares to be taken off air and move online in the summer. Piers Morgan , 59, was the first to announce his departure from Rupert Murdoch’s channel earlier this year, with the former Good Morning Britain anchor breaking the news in February and revealing his plans to become a YouTuber. The controversial broadcaster declared he was done with “creating my show for linear television” and expressed his frustration over producing content in a traditional TV format when most of his audience tunes in through alternative platforms. And now Feltz, 62, has also decided it’s time to bid farewell to TalkTV. Speaking in a statement on Wednesday, the Celebs Go Dating star said: “I’ve had the most fabulous two years at TalkTV. It’s been a joy and a revelation to work on a fledgling station. “Among many experiences, it was my honour to break the news of the passing of Her Majesty, the Queen to viewers and broadcast live throughout that momentous time. As TalkTV steps back from linear TV, it’s time for me to also step back and focus on my other commitments and new projects ahead.” In the statement shared with MailOnline, Scott Taunton, EVP President of Broadcast for News UK, added: “Vanessa is a unique broadcaster and has made a unique contribution to TalkTV over the last two years. She steps back with our thanks and best wishes.” Jeremy Kyle will take over Feltz’s drivetime slot on the channel. Feltz’s TalkTV exit comes one month on from News UK announcing that TalkTV will stop broadcasting on television this summer after struggling to match its main rival GB News for ratings. “Two years ago, we would not have been brave enough to launch a channel without a linear presence, but audiences of all ages have moved fast and smartphones are now the primary device where news is consumed. We need to adapt to this as a priority,” Taunton said in March. “We are therefore intending that Talk comes off linear television from early summer and our focus will be on streaming.” Piers Morgan quit TalkTV just weeks before it was announced the channel would be taken off air ( Image: TalkTV) The announcement came just weeks after Piers Morgan announced he was swapping the small screen for the even smaller screen of YouTube. Taking to Twitter on 8th February, Morgan broke the news to his fans with a tweet saying “Some personal news [ fire emoji]” and linked to a report by journalist Ben Smith. The headline from Smith stated: “News: Piers Morgan is ending his live broadcast show on UK’s TalkTV, and going full YouTube. He talked to me about it.” Morgan, who says he co-owns Piers Morgan Uncensored with News Corp, confided to Smith that during recent debates on Israel’s actions in Gaza on his TV shows, he felt constrained by the hour-long format. “I find myself thinking, ‘I wish we weren’t just doing a TV show here, because if we weren’t I would do this for two hours. That’s what the YouTube crowd love,” Morgan revealed. His switch to YouTube will free him from Ofcom regulations, but the controversial figure insists that wasn’t the driving force behind his digital pivot. “Despite being allegedly so controversial, I’ve never had an Ofcom ruling against me,” Morgan stated in his discussion with Smith. Morgan then went on to brag about the fact he received “most complaints in Ofcom history” when he questioned Meghan Markle’s personal account of her experience with poor mental health on live TV. Morgan’s outburst on Good Morning Britain in March 2021 attracted 55,000 complaints to media regulated Ofcom but were dismissed. The presenter joined TalkTV in 2022, a year after his departure from Good Morning Britain.
Vanessa Feltz Leaves TalkTV as Channel Prepares to Move Online
