Lorraine Kelly missed hosting her ITV programme on Monday after being caught in traffic on the M40.
The Scottish presenter, 66, explained her absence in an Instagram post, saying she had been stuck for about an hour and a half trying to get into work.
Traffic Delay on the M40
In a video shared on Monday, Kelly said: "Hi everyone. It's Monday morning and I've been stuck in traffic for about an hour and a half trying to get into work."
She added: "I think there's been a wee accident and I'm hoping that everybody is OK. It's starting to move now, but I don't think I'm going to make it – I honestly don't."
Captioning the post, she wrote: "I've actually had genuine nightmares about not being able to get to my work – today it was true. Sadly an accident on M40 shut the motorway and I was stuck for an hour and a half. All OK now and hopefully no injuries – but live TV means you can't be late. See you tomorrow – so sorry!"
Christine Lampard Steps In
The programme was instead hosted by Christine Lampard, who opened the episode by telling viewers: "I am not Lorraine! She isn't here today and that is because she has been stuck in a road closure all morning."
Lampard then spoke to Kelly on the phone, who said: "For goodness' sake Christine. I was sitting there for an hour and a half. The only good thing about all of this is thank goodness nobody was seriously hurt. As far as we know it was an accident or a road closure, but we don't think anybody is injured, which is great news."
Kelly added: "But when you are stuck in traffic there is literally nothing you can do. You can't go forwards, you can't go backwards, you can't do anything. You just sit there and hope for the best. It's a bit like my worst ever stress dream where you can't get to work. It was like that – but real."
She also said: "I'll be there tomorrow! Whether I have to walk or trudge… anything!"
Previous Disruption and Schedule Changes
Kelly's absence comes after her show was pulled from the ITV schedule last Wednesday. Sitting in the back of a car, Kelly filmed herself while announcing there had been a power outage at the studio.
She said: "It's a bit of a shame. I was really looking forward to talking to Sharleen Spiteri from (the band) Texas. We shall reschedule, and it'll all be fine, and I will see you tomorrow. OK, bye."
As well as Lorraine, This Morning and Loose Women also had to air pre-recorded segments due to the outage. In a statement, a spokesperson for ITV said: "Following a power cut overnight in the wider area where our Covent Garden studio is based, we are unable to broadcast Lorraine, This Morning and Loose Women live today. We will return to our normal schedule as soon as possible."
Kelly has hosted her eponymous programme since 2010. Earlier this year, ITV announced a number of scheduling changes, including reducing Kelly's morning programme from one hour to 30 minutes, and airing 30 weeks out of 52 from 2026. On weeks when the show is not on air, Good Morning Britain airs for an extra half-hour, from 6am to 10am.
