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My guest today is the British TV legend, Lorraine Kelly.
Her show, Lorraine, which airs every weekday morning, revolutionised daytime telly, and she’s now been doing it for an astonishing 40 years. She took so-called soft TV (ie not serioius, ie “women’s interest”) and turned it into a must-take-notice-of for politicians and people who thought they were too good to watch television during the day.
She has won a Royal Television Society Award, a scottish BAFTA, and last year she was awarded a Lifetime achievement by BAFTA.
Now 65, she’s written a bestseller, The Island Swimmer, set on Orkney - a place close to her heart - is a family mystery about a woman, Evie, who reluctantly returns home after a long time away. It’s as reassuring, captivating and satisfying as its author. But it’s also not afraid to tackle the tough stuff (coercive relationships, bereavement, dementia…)
I met Lorraine in her old Dundee stomping ground to share a cuppa and talk about life the universe and absolutely everything. We chatted mums who keep you in your place, toxic people in telly, getting fired while she was on maternity leave, why she had to be interviewed about menopause on her show because no-one else would talk about it, the sheer joy of being a granny and why she’s way too chicken to have Botox. Amongst many many other things.
Listen to the full episode here:
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