Street-Porter leaving Loose Women to have hip operation

Janet Street-Porter has announced she is leaving 'Loose Women' so she can recover from hip replacement surgery.

The 77-year-old broadcaster-and-journalist has been a constant on the panel for 13 years but she will be taking an extended break from the ITV daytime show so she can recover from the operation.

Just minutes into the episode broadcast on Wednesday (02.10.24), host Christine Lampard told viewers that it was her colleague's “last day for a little while” as she prepares to undergo a hip replacement on Friday (04.10.24).

Janet told viewers and her fellow panellists Christine, Coleen Nolan and Katie Piper that she was very worried about going under the knife.

She said: "I can't think about anything else. As I'm sitting here I'm shaking and my hands are freezing cold. I keep dreaming about it.

"I'm just going to go into hospital on Friday, have the operation on Friday afternoon, stay in hospital for a few days and then really, really work at rehab and physio so that I can come back as soon as possible."

Her co-star Coleen admitted it was "really sad" that Janet was going through a tough time with her health.

She said: "You always put on this tough persona and nothing bothers you. And then at one point today you said, 'I'm really scared,' and I could have cried my eyes out."

Janet joined 'Loose Women' in 2011 and she quickly became popular with viewers thanks to her strong opinions and willingness to air them.

Since making her debut, the former 'I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!' contestant has been a constant presence on-screen, whilst other panellists like Carol McGiffin, Andrea McLean, Jane McDonald, Kate Thornton, Anne Diamond, Sherrie Hewson and more have moved on.

Janet began her career as a journalist working as the fashion editor of the Daily Mail in 1969 and in 1975 she began working for London Weekend Television, presenting youth-oriented programmes and then moved to BBC Two in 1987 she was made head of youth and entertainment features by BBC Two controller Alan Yentob.

In recent years she has appeared on multiple TV shows, including 'Celebrity MasterChef', 'QI', 'Question Time' and 'Have I Got News For You'.