ITV’s daytime shake-up has hit Lorraine hard, with the long-running morning show being trimmed to just 30 minutes and reduced to airing for only 30 weeks of the year. While ITV insists the decision is part of a wider cost-saving strategy to free up money for drama and sport, some viewers think they’ve cracked the real reason behind the show’s cut and it’s got nothing to do with budgets.
A growing number of fans reckon it might be down to a satirical X (formerly Twitter) account that spent last year closely tracking how often Lorraine Kelly was actually presenting the show. The account regularly posted updates marking her days on and off air, and it didn’t go unnoticed, reported the Mirror.
Reacting to the schedule news, one user posted: “This is because of that account that continuously counted the amount of times Lorraine presented every day throughout last year.” Another added: “I do genuinely wonder if this would be happening if @LorraineKWatch hadn’t highlighted just how often she’s off. Like, I’m sure they knew, but at the same time that account brought it to the forefront. Seems it was first on the minds of producers when cost cutting talks started.” A third chipped in: “That is Lorraine hosting today twitter has really hurt a nerve then.”
But not everyone’s convinced the account had anything to do with ITV’s decision, and some have come out in Lorraine’s defence. One viewer wrote: “Am not a great fan of @lorraine but watch it now & again. I don’t understand why she’s criticised for having off-season days off. Other live daytime presenters have weeks off at a time so her days off are probably the same as them. @GMB & @loosewomen change teams each day.”
The “Where is Lorraine?” account became something of a viral curiosity for followers who found its daily updates entertaining. It even prompted a response from Lorraine herself during an appearance on BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour. “The amount of space I occupy in people’s heads is quite bizarre,” she said, sounding more amused than annoyed.
She continued: “It’s fine, I don’t mind, I don’t care. Probably would have cared before but I really don’t now, it’s absolutely fine. To be honest, you should never comment on things like that if you don’t know what’s going on in people’s lives.”
Lorraine revealed she’d been taking Fridays off to care for her mum, who’s been unwell, saying: “I am having to take quite a few Fridays off because of my mum’s really not well, so I can go home now and spend some more time with her… but that will change.”
However, earlier this year she admitted the account had started to feel “really hurtful” — and that marked the end. The creator of the account decided to shut it down for good. “I have always said that if Lorraine or her team reached out and asked me to stop this account then I would,” they wrote in a farewell post.
“While I have not had contact with Lorraine or anybody affiliated with her, her comments in this weekend’s The Guardian make it clear that the joke has run its course and it is time for it to end… There was never any intention of hurting Lorraine’s feelings and I am sorry if I have done so.”
And just like that, one of the most oddly specific social media accounts disappeared leaving behind a daytime slot that now feels a little emptier and a lot shorter.
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