Lorraine Kelly shares stony response to viral account tracking breakfast show absence

Kelly addressed the viral page while revealing why she’s had to take time off from self-titled daytime series

Lorraine Kelly has shared a stony response to a viral social media account that tracks her absences from her TV show.

The Scottish broadcaster has been a mainstay on morning television since the 1980s, fronting programmes such as Good Morning Britain, GMTV and, since 2010, her own ITV programme, Lorraine.

Recent months have seen Kelly, 64, take more regular breaks from daily presenting. In response, a satirical account on X (formerly Twitter) known as @LorraineKWatch has been tracking her absences, succinctly totting up the number of times she has appeared on her show.

The account regularly goes viral, with social media users being amused at the level of surveillance surrounding the presenter.

During her appearance on BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour on Friday (16 February), Kelly was asked her thoughts on the account.

After initially quipping that she found it “hilarious”, the presenter then noted that she’d been taking time off more regularly to spend time with her elderly, unwell mother.

“It’s fine, I don’t mind, I don’t care. I probably would have cared before, but I really don’t now, it’s absolutely fine,” she said of the account, before continuing: “To be honest… you should never comment on things like that if you don’t know what’s really going on in people’s lives.

Lorraine Kelly (PA)

“But I am having to take quite a few Fridays off, because my mum’s really not well.”

Kelly splits her time between her home in Buckinghamshire on weekdays and in East Kilbride in Scotland, where her mother lives, on the weekends.

“I can go home [to Scotland] now, and spend some more time with her, and help her a bit more than I’ve been able to. That’s happening just now, but that’ll change,” she told host Anita Rani.

Kelly then noted that she had been working five days a week “for 40 years, so I’m just taking a wee bit of time off”.

TV presenter Lorraine Kelly has said Phillip Schofield has had a hard time after disclosing his affair with a younger male colleague, but ‘he will be all right’ (Ian West/PA) (PA Wire)

Last month, Kelly referred to missing out on a show in a post on X, in which she thanked Christine Lampard for stepping in as a relief presenter.

“Morning and huge thanks to the wonderful @clbleakley for stepping in on Fridays so I can get back home,” she began her message. “Great to see mum doing really well and I appreciate your kind words.”

In July, Kelly’s mother, Anne, was admitted to the hospital. Though Kelly didn’t divulge specific details about her mother’s condition at the time, Anne had been diagnosed with nephrotic syndrome, a kidney condition, earlier in 2023.

Kelly also was unveiled as the Owl on the current season of The Masked Singer, with host Joel Dommett calling her reveal one of the show’s best ever.