Lorraine Kelly was visibly emotional during Tuesday’s broadcast of her ITV breakfast show after receiving an unexpected tribute from guest Paris Lees.
The writer and activist appeared on Lorraine to promote her new BBC drama What It’s Like for a Girl, but took a moment at the end of the segment to thank the presenter for her longstanding support of the trans community.
“There is so much hostility for trans people in the trans community at the moment and you've been consistently an ally,” Lees said, turning to Kelly. “We see you and we really appreciate it, you really use your platform for good.”
As Kelly responded: “You're going to make me cry.”
Lees continued: “Honestly, not everyone is there speaking up for us. We're less than 0.5 percent of the population and we are under attack. You are using your platform for good and you are a friend. I should have brought some flowers or something. I hereby declare you an honorary diva.”
The presenter, wiping away a tear, laughed: “I’ll take that!”
Kelly has previously said she feels a responsibility to use her platform to support the trans community, warning that society is becoming less tolerant than it was decades ago.
Speaking to the Metro in March about her long-standing advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights — including during the 1980s HIV/AIDS crisis — the ITV presenter said: “I felt it was my duty to stand up and say, ‘No, this isn’t right’.”
Kelly, 64, added that she’s particularly concerned about how transgender people are treated in public discourse today.
“I don’t like when trans people have to try to justify their experience, because no one else has to,” she said. “It’s really about showing the person behind the label. We’re all far more complex than labels.”
Highlighting the challenges faced by trans individuals, she continued: “People look at statistics and they don’t see human beings, so that’s my job. The trans community has the odds stacked against them anyway, trying to navigate a new world that’s gone backwards. When I grew up, people in the 70s and 80s were more tolerant about trans than they are now.”
Last week, Lorraine seemingly addressed the future of her ITV show following major schedule cuts, insisting she has no plans to bow out after four decades on air.
The daytime host was speaking publicly for the first time since ITV confirmed her show would be reduced to 30-minute episodes and limited to just 30 weeks of the year, with Good Morning Britain set to replace her slot for the remaining 22.
Appearing on Tom Kerridge’s Proper Tasty podcast, the veteran broadcaster appeared to push back on speculation about a possible axing and said she’s still got plenty more to give.
Reflecting on her four-decade-long career, she said: “I’ve been doing telly for over 40 years. It’s mad isn’t it? It’s absolutely crazy. I started in breakfast telly in 1984, and I’m still getting away with it. Extraordinarily.”
Referring to the career milestone she marked last year, she added: “40 years in TV last year was incredible. I got a BAFTA. ‘Here’s a BAFTA for being alive.’ I thought, ‘Hang on a minute, I’m not done yet’.”
