Lorraine Kelly may be a household name now – but her career could have taken a very different turn after she revealed she was fired from her first big job.
The TV star admitted that she was asked "not to come back" to her role on TV-AM alongside Eamonn Holmes, shortly after the birth of her daughter, Rosie.
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"They told me not to come back," the 61-year-old told Kate Thornton’s White Wine Question Time podcast.
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"They basically said, 'Thanks very much and cheerio' because they had someone else. Anthea Turner was brought in to present with Eamonn.
"It was a long, long time ago – 27 years ago – because Rosie is 27."
Lorraine admitted that the loss of her job couldn't have come at a worse time. "It was really frightening," she added. "I had this really tiny baby and I wasn’t sure what was going to happen."
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Lorraine and daughter Rosie have a very special bond
Thankfully, Lorraine won her job back after a company that wanted to sponsor a mother and baby segment on the show said they would only do so if she was at the helm.
"Luckily there was a mum and baby company – I think it was Cow & Gate or something – who wanted to do a mum and baby slot," she explained.
"They wouldn’t do it unless I did it. So that was a way back, if you like. It was so successful that they ended up giving me my own show."
Lorraine and Steve have been happily married since 1992
Lorraine shares Rosie, her only child, with TV cameraman husband Steve Smith. The couple married in September 1992 in a small ceremony.
Rosie previously spent three years working in Singapore but returned to the UK in 2020 – only for mother and daughter to be separated by coronavirus restrictions.
Following their emotional reunion, Lorraine told the Daily Mail: "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."
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