Scottish TV presenter Lorraine Kelly tells Woman’s Way about getting her sparkle back with a new regime.

Having presented early morning shows for most of her career, getting up early to broadcast her ITV talk show, Lorraine, doesn't take a feather out of Scottish TV presenter, Lorraine Kelly. Then again, not much fazes the 62-year-old, who is known for being positive, upbeat and direct. She is fizzing with plans for the coming year, including switching up her exercise regime by taking on new challenges, such as Pilates and yoga.

And now that the world is opening up, Lorraine is hoping to travel again, safely of course. She loves Africa, and used to spend a lot of time in Singapore when her beloved daughter Rosie (27) lived there for four years while working as a marketing and community manager.

Rosie graduated with a degree in journalism, but has opted to follow a path in communications rather than broadcasting. Lorraine is proud of the confidence her only child has shown in travelling and working abroad, although she missed her deeply when she moved out. continues overleaf >>

Lorraine and her husband, cameraman Steve Smith, relocated from Dundee to Buckinghamshire in 2017 after Rosie moved abroad, so that the presenter would be closer to London for work. The couple were married in 1992 and the ever-honest Lorraine revealed that she was the one who proposed.

She movingly spoke about a miscarriage she experienced when Rosie was six and she was around two months pregnant on Giovanna Fletcher's Happy Mum Happy Baby podcast.

"It was really sad but what did help me was being open and talking about it at the time, because obviously I'm off work and you need to tell people why,” she said.

LOVING WORK

Lorraine was born in Glasgow to a Catholic mother and Protestant father, and left school at 17 after landing a job as a trainee reporter in her local newspaper. She joined BBC Scotland as a researcher in 1984 and was TVam's Scottish correspondent until 1989 when she joined the presenting team, alongside Mike Morris.

She has been a TV presenter and radio show host on various shows ever since then, and only gets five-and-a-half hours sleep per night.

The broadcaster acknowledges that she was “incredibly lucky” to be able to continue going to work on Lorraine throughout the pandemic. “I certainly needed that routine of going into work every day,” she says. “So I’m really grateful and very lucky I was able to do it.”

“What has saved me, mentally and physically, is my wee Angus,” she says of her adored border terrier. “Honestly, I know that sounds so simple, but taking him for a walk every day and being able to talk to him and tell him everything has been a brilliant thing to do - he’s a great listener. I don’t think we all appreciated before the pandemic how important it is to get outside. And that we need other people.”

The presenter began hosting the Lorraine show in 2010, and it's a hugely popular show. She deals with the main stories of the day with her no-nonsense, wise approach, and there are fashion, food and health slots to captivate her loyal viewers.

These viewers saw her being brought to tears recently when Dr Amir Khan made a surprise appearance on the show. He told her that as February is the month of love, the show wanted to celebrate the love of friendship.

Lorraine was shown a moving video montage containing messages from her loved ones telling her how much she meant to them.

PANDEMIC HABITS

Even with her famously upbeat perspective, it comes as a surprise to hear the popular broadcaster admit that she needs help to address various habits she got into during the pandemic, such as having a ‘chocolate’ plate at 8pm every evening. She is currently a size 14 and would like to be a 10 again, as that’s where she feels happiest and healthiest.

“I don’t feel like myself any more,” Lorraine confesses, adding that she would like to get her sparkle back. “I don’t have as much energy and stamina. I’ve been comfort-eating and drinking more than I should and spending far too much time sitting on my bum. I can’t fit into any of my clothes either - I’ve spent too long in elasticated waistbands. Of course, I know what I am supposed to be doing, but I need a support system and some extra help.”

For this reason, Lorraine has signed up to be a Weight Watchers (WW) ambassador in the UK. Although Irish members were disappointed that Weight Watchers Ireland unexpectedly announced at Christmas that it was stopping all services in Ireland, its meals can still be found in stores and recipes are available on its website. Lorraine has vowed to put aside more time to be still and is working on forming new, healthier habits, like eating fruit and healthy snacks instead of her chocolate plate.

Steve is the chef of the family and he is now tasked with cooking WW meals from scratch.

“At the moment, if I was invited to a red carpet event, I just wouldn’t have the confidence to go,” Lorraine admits. “Not even if George Clooney was waiting for me naked and with a rose between his teeth.” Now that restrictions are relaxing, Lorraine is keen to get back to her exercise routine, because she enjoys it and it makes her feel good. Even though she is embarking on a new regime, she has been vocal about the need to cut ourselves some slack around things we may have let slide during the pandemic.

“It’s all about moderation, and feeling healthy, feeling fine and feeling good about yourself if you can,” she says. There was a time in her late 40s and early 50s when Lorraine wasn’t feeling quite as good, as she was tired and lacking in energy. She recalls how ‘flat’ she felt during a holiday in Spain with Steve, with whom she can talk about “anything.”

“We were sitting in the sun, we were having a lovely lunch and we were going to meet friends later,” she recalls. “And I was just so miserable and couldn’t feel any joy. I was joyless.”

MENOPAUSE MOMENTS

After returning from Spain, Lorraine chatted with TV doctor Dr Hilary Jones, who told her that the symptoms probably related to the menopause. Her sparkle and enthusiasm for life returned when she started taking hormone replacement theory (HRT) via patches and a cream.

“As soon as I got HRT, my husband said, ‘I’ve got you back,’” she says. “I’d got myself back, that’s how it felt; it was amazing. I know there was a lot of controversy around HRT, but it’s about getting your facts and figures and weighing it up. For me, the benefits absolutely outweigh the risks and it has been life-changing - absolutely lifechanging.”

The Lorraine show did a menopause special segment a few years ago, and the presenter admits to being astonished by the reaction it elicited from women, as well as men whose wives and partners were going through the transition. A similar reaction greeted Joe Duffy’s RTÉ radio show, Liveline, when it dedicated an entire week of the show to the menopause in May 2021.

While many women dread its onset, Lorraine is keen to point out that there are positive aspects, such as the freedom from having periods. She is happy that well-known women like Davina McCall and Ulrika Jonsson have come out to reassure others about their own experiences and believes that women should be empowered with knowledge and permission to seek the treatment and support they need.

“I think there was this stigma that women had the menopause and then you’re over the hill,” she points out. “I might as well have a wee grey perm and get a big coat and get a tartan trolley, you know? It’s not like that, as women in their 40s, 50s, 60s and beyond are vibrant and have things to say and want to be heard. And it’s great, as there’s so many more opportunities now.”

“More women are living longer and living better lives, which is fantastic,” Lorraine adds. “I’m 62 now and I honestly do feel in my prime.”

Watch Lorraine on ITV, weekdays from 9-10am.