Staying power of TV’s best-loved sofa star
impressed by demands from the entourage of Colombian pop star Shakira for water to be served at a specific temperature. On the other hand she says: “People such as Tom Hanks, Will Smith and George Clooney make my life easy because they realise it is their job too. We all have off days but we can’t let it show.” Along the way Lorraine has become an unlikely sex symbol, attracting a devoted male following including many students. However she was not quite sure what to make of it when one of them sent her a tub of chocolate body paint and asked for a photograph. In the end she decided the chocolate should not go to waste and ate it with ice cream.
LORRAINE laughs off the sex symbol tag and says her weight loss of a few years ago was not the result of a conscious effort to look better on screen. These days Lorraine is a brand in her own right, instantly recognisable by her first name alone. It is little wonder then that ITV is so keen to hold on to one of its most prized assets. It is rumoured that Sky and the BBC were waiting in the wings if she decided on a fresh challenge. The popular presenter has also turned her hand to writing on subjects as varied as Scotland, nutrition and parenting – Lorraine has a 23-year-old daughter Rosie. Although she claims to be shy away from the cameras Lorraine, who admits she went through a dreadful 1980s power-dressing phase, is also regularly seen modelling her own fashion range for JD Williams. Two years ago she even stripped down to a revealing bikini to inspire ordinary women to be more comfortable with their bodies. They say that familiarity breeds contempt and television is littered with the faded careers of stars who became overexposed, eventually causing viewers to turn off. However there is no sign of the British public tiring of Lorraine Kelly and she intends to keep going for as long as possible.