VANESSA Feltz has dominated daytime TV and radio for decades, so it’s no wonder she’s already got plans in place after her show was brutally axed by Channel 5.
The punchy presenter, 64, earned the reputation of being the “hardest-working woman in broadcasting” while doing double shifts at the BBC with gruelling 4am starts.
We can reveal Vanessa is plotting a major career move that will see her take on the likes of Holly Willoughby and Piers Morgan by launching her own YouTube channel.
A TV insider told The Sun: “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.
“Vanessa has seen the success of broadcasters like Piers Morgan on YouTube and is keen to replicate that.
“She is in the early stages of planning her own show that could launch later in the year.
“It’s an exciting new chapter for Vanessa who has been confiding in her famous friends and fellow TV stars about her plans.”
Vanessa is the latest among a string of broadcasters to shun terrestrial TV channels in favour of an online platform.
Last week it was revealed ex-This Morning star Holly is attempting to rival her former ITV programme by launching a lifestyle show on YouTube.
It’s due to have an initial four-week run.
However, it has been described as a “high-risk comeback attempt” for the former ITV darling – whose telly ventures after This Morning ended in failure, with the cancellation of Dancing on Ice and her Netflix reality show with Bear Grylls, Celebrity Bear Hunt, being axed after just one series.
Meanwhile former Good Morning Britain host has enjoyed huge success since launching Piers Morgan Uncensored on YouTube in April 2022.
It has become one of the fastest-growing independent news and opinion brands in the world, with more than 4.4 million YouTube subscribers, over 1 billion lifetime views, and 1 million-plus daily views across platforms.
Channel 5 cited “afternoon scheduling changes” for the sudden cancellation of Vanessa – months after announcing its “investment in daytime output.”
The “blindsided” presenter will host her final show on July 17 after being given just four weeks’ notice that she was coming off air.
Vanessa is understood to remain “a valued member of the Channel 5 family” and is in “creative discussions about imminent future projects” outside of daytime programming.
A Channel 5 spokesperson told The Sun: “Due to afternoon scheduling changes, ‘Vanessa’ will be rested from July 17.
“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.”
