Bafta honours Lorraine Kelly’s 40-year TV career
LORRAINE Kelly will receive a special prize at the Bafta television awards in recognition of her 40 years in broadcasting.
Susanna Reid gatecrashed the veteran’s presenter’s ITV daytime show and broke the news.
Opening a gold envelope, Good Morning Britain’s Susanna told her: “On behalf of the Bafta board of trustees, we are delighted to offer you, Lorraine Kelly, the academy special award to be presented at this year’s Bafta television awards.”
Lorraine, 64, replied: “Where’s Ant and Dec? It can’t be a prank because it’s Susanna!”
Susanna said the award recognised Lorraine’s “outstanding contribution” since she joined TV-am covering Scottish news in 1984. She added: “You’re not just an inspiration to viewers, you’re an inspiration to people like me, women in broadcasting.”
Reflecting on her start, Lorraine said: “I was a baby, I got my chance in breakfast television because they were willing to take a risk on somebody who was told I’d never make it to TV because of the way I speak.”
Crazy
She added: “The boss of TV-am was Australian and they needed a Scottish reporter, he heard a Scottish accent and it was one of those things where it was like, ‘Give her a go’.” Lorraine was a researcher for BBC Scotland before her big break, which led to her becoming a fixture on breakfast TV.
Her show Lorraine is already nominated at the Bafta television awards in the daytime category.
She added: “I’ve got the best team. They’re incredible.”
The TV Baftas will be held at the Royal Festival Hall, London, on May
12. Comedians Romesh Ranganathan and Rob Beckett will return to host.
●Lorraine has revealed she sometimes wonders “what might have been” when she thinks about a miscarriage more than 20 years ago. The mum of one told Saga Magazine: “You’ve got this parallel life that didn’t happen. It’s good we are talking about things like this more.”