Vanessa Feltz's daytime talk show on Channel 5 has received a nomination for the National Reality TV Awards, shortly after the network cancelled the program.
The show, titled Vanessa, ended its 18-month run on July 17, 2026, after averaging 50,000 viewers per episode—far below competing programs that drew up to 1.2 million.
Channel 5 replaced the talk show slot with feature films, citing daytime schedule adjustments and cost-saving measures.
A Channel 5 spokesperson said: "Due to afternoon scheduling changes, Vanessa will be rested from July 17th."
The spokesperson added: "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 Channel 5 family and we are discussing future projects together."
Feltz previously won the Best Talk Show category at the same awards in 2025.
Reacting to the nomination, Feltz said: "I hope it's going to be really great fun."
She expressed sadness over the show's conclusion: "I feel very, very sad this is the last show.
To anybody who is sending me nice messages, I really appreciate it."
Reflecting on industry-wide cuts, Feltz noted: "I think they're saving money by putting on movies they already own instead and there are cuts everywhere in TV, it's not only me."
She added: "I'm just a minuscule part of this huge thing which is devastating for absolutely everyone because people have given their lives to this business."
Feltz emphasized her resilience: "I'm not the only shocked and blindsided person, certainly not, but I do what I've always done in life, which is just keep calm and carry on because what else can you do?"
New Digital Venture
Feltz is planning a new online show, At Home With Vanessa, to be filmed at her residence, which she calls "Feltz Towers."
She described the format: "It's going to be a kind of grown-up Big Breakfast-ish all shot at my house.
It's my actual house where I really live. I've lived there 24 years and there's a studio under construction right now."
The show will be shot in multiple rooms, including the kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom, with a Victorian Gothic folly featuring a Juliet balcony.
Feltz said: "I hope At Home With Vanessa lends itself to a show that isn't just people sitting on a sofa looking very formal.
I hope it's kind of looser, more fun and more unpredictable than that."
She recalled her early days on The Big Breakfast: "I remember my very first day in The Big Breakfast house and I just thought 'oh my God what have I wandered into?'
There were some live chickens scuttling down the stairs, there were producers falling out of windows and exploding volcanoes."
Feltz noted the financial differences between terrestrial and digital production: "Television is very expensive when you make terrestrial TV.
The cheapest kind of TV you can make is people sitting still in one studio talking whereas for YouTube, it's a bit different because it's different costs and a different vibe altogether."
An industry insider said: "Vanessa was devastated by the news her Channel 5 show is coming off air.
She lives and breathes conversation and debate - and she has no intention of letting a schedule change stop that."
The source added: "She is in the early stages of planning her own show that could launch later in the year.
Vanessa has seen the success of broadcasters like Piers Morgan on YouTube and is keen to replicate that."
During the final episode, Feltz's daughter Saskia made a surprise appearance, saying: "We've come to surprise you. We knew today was going to be hard.
We absolutely love you and couldn't be more proud of what you've done on this show."
Feltz also received a tribute from broadcaster Jeremy Vine, who said: "You're amazing. We're going to miss you in the afternoons, your company.
You bring the sunshine. I hope you enjoy your last show.
I hope we're going to work together again."
