Fresh from melting hearts with a romantic throwback wedding image with her husband Steve, Lorraine Kelly has opened up about another man in her life – former This Morning host Phillip Schofield.
The ITV star spoke to The Times at the weekend about the controversy that saw the 61-year-old step down from his long-running role, saying: "I was heartbroken when all that happened."
She went on: "It's just a shame for the amazing career that he's had, for it to end like that," and also commented: "I think everybody lost their minds a wee bit."
Phillip quit the show suddenly in May 2023 after admitting to an "unwise but not illegal" affair with a younger member of staff, apologising in a statement for lying to colleagues, friends, his agents and the media.
Asked by the paper whether she's still in contact with the former Dancing on Ice star, Lorraine said she was, commenting: "He's doing all right and he will be all right, but it's hard."
The mum-of-one has been a mainstay of ITV morning shows since the 1980s, most notably on her talk show Lorraine, and was an occasional presenter for This Morning between 2003 and 2005, and again in 2016.
Her comments come after Holly Willoughby, Phillip's former co-host, with whom he used to be the closest of friends, celebrated her birthday without the star.
She denied all knowledge of his affair and has since distanced herself from him, later surprising viewers by quitting This Morning herself in October last year "for me and my family," after a man was charged with plotting to kidnap and murder the mum-of-three.
Holly was flooded with well wishes from her friends and family on Saturday, including a special message from her sister. Marking the star's 43rd birthday with a sweet childhood snap, older sibling Kelly wrote the cutest message to Holly, including a revelation about her childhood nickname!
She wrote: "Happy, happy birthday my darling Holly Dolly. Love you more than a Tommy’s Margarita… can’t say it any clearer than that! Have the best day @hollywilloughby." She also shared a snap that showed the two sisters dressed in matching striped dresses as young children.
There's no denying that Holly has a close relationship with her sibling. In a previous interview with The Guardian, the mum-of-three opened up about their bond, saying: "We're more like friends than sisters. We even bought a place together in Putney. You would expect some fireworks, but because we have the same friends and have different roles within that group, none of that ever came into it."
She added: "I'm more likely to be the one to say 'everyone back to mine' and cook for everyone, whereas she's much better at tidying up."
Speaking about their different personalities, Kelly explained: "I'm organised and regimented; Holly is messy. Like chalk and cheese, we excelled at different things at school." She continued: "Even to look at we’re polar opposites. She's blonde and I'm dark. People say, 'Come on, you must have fought a bit, growing up?' But we didn't."