Exclusive:Lorraine Kelly at 65 - the lessons I've learned in life and TV

In person she’s as chatty as she appears on TV, often breaking into laughter and asides, and is a master at putting you at your ease. Her 40 years of experience make what she does seem easy, although it’s far from it, requiring an ability to switch from serious to light as befits a morning show. Kelly is never lost for words or fazed by a tricky interviewee or subject, always diplomatic, but never losing her down to earth authenticity and ability to make people open up and share. She is even known to occasionally slip into the vernacular, this week using a Scottish word for ‘cold’, for which she later apologised, saying “I didn’t know it was a bad word. In Scotland we say that all the time.”

She can be deeply empathetic when interviewing those who have a harrowing tale to tell one minute, switching to humour the next as she presents a variety of subjects from the post office scandal to Strictly to health campaigns to raise awareness of bowel and breast cancer. Kelly puts her ability to draw people out down to ‘trust’.

“I never take that for granted. And I think that’s partly due to the fact that I’ve been here a long time and I’m familiar to people,” she says.

Her work has seen her win awards, from Baftas to an OBE in 2012 for services to charity and she was promoted to CBE in 2020 for services to broadcasting, journalism and charity.

This year sees her singing on a single for the first time with the return of Lorraine's Change + Check Campaign with its mission to raise awareness of breast cancer and encourage early detection. Along with Scottish singer Marti Pellow and the Change + Check choir, comprised of people who found their breast cancer after seeing the campaign on her show, they will be giving voice to a special rendition of the iconic Single ‘Love is All Around’.

​Citing the campaign as one of the things she is most proud of in her decades on screen, Kelly says: “Every year the campaign has just got bigger and better. I honestly didn’t know how we were going to equal last year’s Number 1 single ‘Golden’ with Joss Stone, but our fantastic producer Helen Addis has done it again!”

Born in Glasgow, she lived in The Gorbals until she was two, then later moved to East Kilbride where she joined the East Kilbride News after leaving school before moving to BBC Scotland as a researcher in 1983 then TV-am as an on-screen reporter covering Scottish news in 1984. She has presented various television shows for ITV and STV, including Good Moring Britain, GMTV, This Morning, Daybreak, the STV Children’s appeal (2016-present) and her own show, Lorraine, since 2010.

Married to Steve Smith, a cameraman she met at work at TV-am and were pals for a year before Lorraine took the initiative when they were on a job in Glencoe and they’ve been together ever since, celebrating 32 years of marriage this year. Marriage to a Dundonian took her to Tayside and she commuted to London for many years before moving to Buckinghamshire where she now lives with Smith and their Border Terrier, or “my wee dog”, Angus. In August they became grandparents when daughter Rosie gave birth to Billie, who has already made her TV debut on Lorraine, 30 years after Kelly took baby Rosie into the GMTV studios.

After years of interviewing authors Kelly started writing books herself with her debut fiction novel The Island Swimmer, published in February this year, and the sequel due out in March. Set in Orkney it’s inspired by her love of the islands where she has holidayed since the 1980s and regards as a home from home, somewhere where she can escape the glare of publicity and kick back, indulging in her love of wild swimming.

Kelly is at her most enthusiastic when talking about her new life as author, crediting her day job with helping her hone her skills.

“I’ve not done it consciously but certainly doing the job that I do I hope has made me a better writer. It certainly gave me the tools to do the job if you like,” she says.

Celebrating 40 years on screen this year, Kelly has no intention of slowing down, and intends to continue presenting her show as long as audiences keep watching.

“I’d like to keep on doing my show for as long as people want to watch,” she says.

With her 65th birthday landing on St Andrew’s Day, 30 November, she took the time to tell us what she’s learned in life and TV so far.

WHAT WILL YOU DO TO CELEBRATE BEING 65?

I’ll be just having a family lunch with my husband Steve, daughter Rosie and her fiancé Steve and baby Billie who is the light of my life! All very relaxed and happy.

DO YOU LIKE GETTING OLDER?

Honestly I think age is just a number - I am lucky to be surrounded at work by a young enthusiastic team who are fantastic and they keep me young. I eat what I like and I walk my wee dog and try to keep as healthy as possible.

WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED ON BECOMING A GRANDMOTHER?

I am LOVING being a granny and am so proud of Rosie and her Steve. They are amazing parents. I’m always available to babysit and I am trying to get the balance right of being supportive but not interfering! It really is life changing and I have the same unconditional love for Billie that I had for Rosie. I have more patience and confidence as a granny than I did as a mum.

WHAT IS THE SECRET OF A LONG RELATIONSHIP?

Steve and I have been together for almost 40 years and married since 1992. We love each other but also we like each other and we both love spending time together but we have our own interests too.

He goes off on cycling and golf trips with his pals for a few days and I go up and see my mum or friends. Short spells apart give you the chance to miss each other. So I’d say give each other space and never take each other for granted,

He also makes me laugh.

WHAT DOES SUCCESS MEAN TO YOU?

Success for me means enjoying what you do and being content and also able to provide for the people you love. Having good friends and being needed is also my definition of success.

WHAT DO YOU KNOW NOW ABOUT LIFE THAT YOU DIDN’T KNOW WHEN YOU WERE YOUNGER?

Not to catastrophise everything! Or worry about things you can’t do anything about. I worry a lot less and I’m so much more relaxed.

WHAT WOULD YOU DO DIFFERENTLY IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME?

I don’t think I’d do anything different apart from a lot of dodgy hair cuts and outfits in the Eighties.

WHAT’S BEEN YOUR MOST EMBARRASSING MOMENT?

So many embarrassing moments. I’ve fallen over on live TV and showed the nation my knickers while interviewing The Spice Girls and doing a high kick in their crazy platform shoes.

WHOSE AND WHAT ADVICE HAS MEANT THE MOST TO YOU?

My granny always told me not to leave anything for “best”. Wear the frock and spray on the perfume and seize the day.

WHAT OR WHO DO YOU THINK ABOUT WHEN TIMES GET TOUGH?

My mum and my daughter - the two loveliest and strongest women I know

They give good advice and always tell me the truth

TELL US ABOUT YOUR WRITING.

I’ve just finished my second novel. It’s the follow up to The Island Swimmer and once again set in Orkney and featuring some of the characters in the original book. I have unfinished business with them. It’s been more difficult to write the second one but I love it. The paperback of The Island Swimmer comes out next March.

WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO DO NEXT?

I’d like to keep on doing my show for as long as people want to watch. I’d love to do more docos and more travelling and of course more writing.

DID YOU EVER THINK YOU’D STILL BE ON TV AT 65?

I didn’t expect to still be here at 65, but I am so happy to be doing the job I love after 40 years. It’s wonderful and it’s down to all the fantastic people I have worked with, my top team and the viewers who have been so loyal and shown me such support.

IF YOU WEREN’T A JOURNALIST WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO HAVE DONE?

I might have been a translator or a teacher. But I can’t imagine doing anything else.

WHAT WAS THE LAST THINK YOU LAUGHED AT?

The last thing I laughed at was hosting Have I Got News For You and watching Ian[Hislop] and Paul [Merton] being hilarious.

WHEN AND WHERE ARE YOU HAPPIEST?

I am happiest on Orkney and looking forward to taking Billie there for a visit next year.

WHO HAS MADE YOUR STARSTRUCK WHEN YOU’VE INTERVIEWED THEM?

Lots of people leave me star struck including: Leonard Nimoy, Buzz Aldrin, Robert Smith from The Cure, Hue and Cry. The list is endless!!

WHAT DO PEOPLE SAY TO YOU MOST WHEN THEY SEE YOU IN PUBLIC?

They say to me that they feel that I am their friend and that is just wonderful.

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