Lorraine Kelly admitted she was left ‘terrified’ after being sacked from her main presenting role on GMTV just weeks after giving birth to daughter Rosie.
GMTV, which launched in 1993, was the predecessor to ITV‘s current breakfast programming and was axed in 2010.
Speaking on the Daily Mail’s Life of Bryony podcast, Lorraine, 66, revealed she was let go in 1994 after the station received complaints from viewers about her being visibly pregnant on screen.
The host of ITV’s long-running daytime show Lorraine was joined on the podcast by daughter Rosie Kelly Smith, 31, to promote her debut book on motherhood, Mother to Mother, available now.
Lorraine Kelly admitted she was left ‘terrified’ after being sacked from her main presenting role on GMTV just weeks after giving birth to daughter Rosie
Lorraine, 66, revealed she was let go in 1994 after the station received complaints from viewers about her being visibly pregnant on screen
Reflecting on how much motherhood has changed across the generations, Lorraine praised the seismic shift in attitudes towards pregnancy and maternity leave since she herself first fell pregnant.
‘The change of attitude has been extraordinary,’ Lorraine told columnist Bryony Gordon.
‘When I was pregnant in 1994, being visibly pregnant on TV was still frowned upon in certain quarters. We got complaints from viewers.
‘When I went off to have Rosie in June, I thought I would be coming back in September. It was only a couple of months off. Then, they phoned me up and said: “We’re going to try someone else out.”
‘That’s the world of telly, it’s brutal. Absolutely brutal. I didn’t have a leg to stand on because I was a freelancer, you have got no rights.
‘I was absolutely terrified. Rosie was only about a month old. We had this tiny little person – massive responsibility. We had just moved south and taken on a massive mortgage.’
The host of ITV’s long-running daytime show Lorraine was joined on the podcast by daughter Rosie Kelly Smith, 31, to promote her debut book on motherhood, Mother to Mother
By January 1995, she had been awarded her own show – the beginning of a 30-year uninterrupted reign on morning television
Amusingly, Lorraine revealed she was offered a route back to GMTV thanks to her status as a new mother.
A baby food brand wanted to sponsor the station but would only splash the cash if Lorraine returned to host.
By January 1995, she had been awarded her own show – the beginning of a 30-year uninterrupted reign on morning television.
Lorraine added: ‘It worked out really well in the end. But honestly, I was so scared.
‘I don’t think it would happen now – effectively, I was sacked. I did not get my contract renewed.
‘It has made me never take anything for granted. I have always had something else – a column, a radio show, writing books.
‘I have never relied on TV because the easiest thing you can do to change up a show is change the cushions and change the presenter.
‘I am very aware of that and that’s why I don’t take anything for granted.’
On the longevity of her ITV show, Lorraine credited the diversity of her guests and her iron rule that every single one is treated exactly the same.
‘It should always be about the person you’re interviewing,’ she added.
‘There are some presenters where that’s not true. We all know who they are.’
Listen to the full exclusive interview with Lorraine and daughter Rosie by searching for The Life of Bryony, wherever you get your podcasts.
