"To protect our teams, we have decided to give them an extended break"
Good Morning Britain won't air between Christmas and New Year as ITV bosses have made the unprecedented decision to halt broadcasting during the festive period due to ongoing COVID-19 fears.
According to The Sun, presenters have been asked to do their own hair and makeup prior to December 25, in an attempt to lessen the amount of crew needed on set. The publication also confirmed that the Christmas Day episode is set to air as planned, as it's already been pre-recorded.
"There is a special GMB Christmas Day show which airs from 7-9am," a spokesperson pointed out, noting how challenging it has been to remain on-air amid staff shortages.
"GMB was due to be on air from Weds 29th - Fri 31st December 2021 but due to the pandemic and to protect our teams, we have decided to give them an extended break," they continued.
"GMB will not broadcast next week, but will be back on air on Tuesday, January 4, 2022."
Good Morning Britain is currently hosted by the likes of Charlotte Hawkins, Ben Shephard, Ranvir Singh, Kate Garraway and Susanna Reid. Since Piers Morgan exited the show following an in-studio argument with weather presenter Alex Beresford, guest presenters have included Ed Balls, Richard Bacon, Adil Ray and Robert Rinder.
Just yesterday (December 19), ITV announced a merge between Good Morning Britain and Lorraine in an effort to "protect our team both on and off screen" from the fast-spreading Omicron variant.
Lorraine typically starts at 9am, right after Good Morning Britain. However, the revised schedule now bills the 9am timeslot as Good Morning Britain with Lorraine, in a similar change to that introduced in March 2020.
