Lorraine Kelly was moved to tears at the start of her show on Wednesday.
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The ITV star choked up during a particularly emotional opening segment – before sweetly apologising to her viewers.
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Lorraine, 62, was paying tribute to her dear friend, Dame Deborah James, who lost her battle with bowel cancer at the age of 40 - weeks after she was made a Dame by the Duke of Cambridge.
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Deborah – known online as Bowel Babe – passed away surrounded by her family, weeks after she confirmed she had stopped active treatment and was receiving palliative care at her parents' home.
Lorraine paid a moving tribute to her friend Deborah on the show
In tribute, Lorraine opened her programme by playing a pre-recorded obituary to Deborah before the camera cut back to a visibly emotional Lorraine, who simply said, "Love her."
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She then introduced a friend of Deborah's, Steve Bland, via video message and struggled to hold back her tears.
A heartfelt statement was also shared on the Lorraine Instagram account
"Sorry. Just seeing that. We knew this was going to happen, but it still doesn't seem quite real," she said.
It comes after Lorraine paid a moving tribute to Deborah shortly after the news of her death broke.
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The mum-of-one posted a picture of Deborah on her show's Instagram account, calling the campaigner a "dear friend" and praising her for breaking the "poo taboo".
Dame Deborah with her husband Sebastien Bowen
"We will remember Dame Deborah as a dear friend of the Lorraine show and as the heart and soul of our bowel cancer campaign No Butts. She leaves a lasting legacy and has saved countless lives through all the work she did to break the 'poo taboo'," the post read.
"Her spirit, drive and enthusiasm made her a powerhouse as a campaigner but most of all we will miss her laughter and friendship behind the scenes.
"Our thoughts are with her family and friends at this time. She will be so sadly missed."
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