Lorraine Kelly is embarking on an unlikely new chapter of her career after cuts to her ITV morning show. Since January, Lorraine has been reduced from an hour to just 30 minutes – meaning it is broadcast from 9.30am to 10am on weekdays – and it will only be on air for 30 weeks of the year.
Now, Lorraine, 66, has revealed a surprising pivot towards presenting travel shows, which she said she had “waited my whole life” to do. The TV star is fronting the new three-part Channel 4 series Norwegian Odyssey, which was released in late January.
Speaking to The Times in a new interview, the long-time host – who was part of the original GMTV team – said: “I’ve wanted to make travel programmes since I started in telly and it’s not for want of trying. God bless Channel 4 for asking me – I’ve waited my whole life for this opportunity. I’d love to do more and maybe visit Nova Scotia and Newfoundland next time.”
It seems that Lorraine’s career move was already well underway months ago, after the announcements about the cuts to Lorraine came in May. She said: “I first visited Norway as a child and returned last summer to film Norwegian Odyssey, then again for a long weekend in October to film the northern lights, which were extraordinary. The joy of this silly job I do is getting to fish with people, go into their homes and restaurants and have them trust you with their stories.”
Lorraine has been on screen for almost 40 years. The mother-of-one – who has a daughter Rosie, 31, with her husband Steve Smith – first came to attention while reporting on the Pan Am disaster in Lockerbie in 1988, before helping to launch GMTV in 1993 and then Lorraine in 2010.
In November, Lorraine shared her thoughts on the new programming shake-up on BBC 4’s Desert Island Discs with Lauren Laverne. She said: “I was disappointed, of course I was. This is the world that we live in now. Things have to change, I mean, I’ve been through so many regime changes in my life.”
“For me, this is just another one, but it’s seismic,” she added. “The thing that has upset me the most is the fact that we’ve got this great team, and obviously, that’s not going to be in place next year because jobs will go. Hopefully, I’ll be able to hang on to some of these amazing people – that’s my aim. It’s very, very sad. It really is.”
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