Lorraine Kelly has revealed that she was once told her famous Glaswegian accent would not cut it in the world of TV.
The best-loved telly host, 59, who started as Scottish correspondent for TVam, opened up about how, as a young journalist, an old boss told her why she'd never make it in broadcasting.
You wouldn’t hear of it today, or course - regional accents feature across the channels.
Obviously, Lorraine proved them wrong, speaking about the incident ahead of her special 35th anniversary in broadcasting and revealing that her secret to success was down to being ‘honest and authentic’.
She told the Mirror Online : "I was only 25 and very nervous. I had been working as a researcher at BBC Scotland and been told by the big boss that I would never make it in TV because of my Glasgow accent.
"I went down to London to meet all of the TV-am team and see the show being broadcast, before taking over at the Glasgow office.
"I will never forget, Anne Diamond and Mike Morris were interviewing the icon that is Bette Davis that morning. I couldn’t believe that I was in the same room as a living legend. I knew this was where I wanted to be."
Over the years Lorraine has had her fair share of backlash from online trolls - and today she revealed how grateful she was that social media didn’t exist when she started her career.
The Scottish TV host said that she was able to ‘learn and improve’ from mistakes rather than being ‘ripped to shreds’ by faceless critics.
She explained: “My first day actually presenting the 6am - 7am news slot in the London studio was terrifying. I spoke far too quickly and galloped through all the items.
"Luckily, there was no social media to rip me to shreds and I was able to make mistakes, learn from them and improve."
Lorraine preparing to mark her milestone in a special show on Monday.
Speaking of the secret to longevity in the TV business, Lorraine said: "You have to put in the work. You have to be honest and authentic. Do your homework and be both interested and interesting. Always have passion and enthusiasm. Curiosity is vital.
"You need to keep up to date with changing technology, immerse yourself in the news and be flexible enough to throw a whole show away if there’s breaking news or a developing story."
Lorraine airs weekdays from 8.30am on ITV.
