Lorraine Kelly held back her tears as she opened up about her struggle over being separated from her daughter Rosie during the height of the coronavirus pandemic. The mother-and-daughter duo were separated by the outbreak, with Lorraine at home in England while her daughter Rosie was stranded in Singapore. In a new interview with You Magazine, the 60-year-old recalled their emotional family reunion after being apart for five months. "Every mother will know what I'm saying - there's just nothing like the smell of your child's hair," she shared.
GALLERY: Lorraine Kelly's sweet relationship with husband and daughter
WATCH: Lorraine Kelly enjoys emotional reunion with daughter Rosie
"Rosie always smells so good. I'm trying not to be too teary, because I don't want to embarrass her, but being able to hold her after all that time was just fantastic." Rosie, 24, had been working in Singapore for almost four years in marketing – and managed to make it back to the UK during lockdown. Lorraine and her husband Steve Smith had last seen Rosie at Christmas time when she had come home to visit them from Singapore.
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The presenter went on to address how the news on COVID-19 was worsening while Rosie was away, causing her a lot of anxiety at the time. However, despite claiming authorities in Singapore were "on it" by carrying out tests and taking temperatures straight away, Lorraine still wanted her child at home. "When you're living through such scary times, you want your child with you," she explained.
Rosie, 24, works in Singapore
In a recent issue of HELLO! magazine, Rosie gave her own candid account about her journey home. "I'd decided to return to the UK at the end of last year and had booked my flight, but wasn't sure it would take off," she share. "I was on 24-hour standby and managed to get a direct flight to London with just 16 other people on board.
"I really wanted to see my mum and dad but I didn't want to risk giving them the virus if I was unlucky enough to catch it on the flight. I didn't want to take any chances. I stayed in a little flat in London on my own and got over the jet lag. I missed [family dog] Angus and I've enjoyed taking him for our walks. I'm also going to teach mum to cook and bake and I've got her doing online yoga classes."
"I'm trying not to be too teary," said the doting mum
Lorraine went on to praise her daughter for taking the sensible decision to self-isolate for two weeks before reuniting with her parents. "Of course it was the right thing to do but it made for a very long fortnight of waiting to get the chance to give her a proper hug," explained Lorraine, later adding: "She was initially alone in that flat and was so close to me and yet so far away. It was hard but I knew that she was doing the right thing and being very responsible. It was so good this week to finally manage to see her in person and give her a much longed-for cuddle, and it is wonderful for the whole family – me, [husband] Steve, Rosie and of course our beloved dog Angus – to be together at last."
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