Lorraine Kelly has spoken candidly about a 'very dark time' in her life after she was sacked—or had her contract not renewed—shortly after giving birth to her daughter Rosie, now 31. The 66-year-old presenter, who began her career as a trainee reporter at 17, reflected on the precarious nature of freelance work during an appearance on Pete Wicks' Man Made podcast.
Kelly described living 'from contract to contract' and recalled the shock of losing her job when her daughter was a baby. 'That was a really bad time—just after having a baby, you're really all over the place,' she said. 'And I got sacked… or didn't get my contract renewed, virtually the same thing, and that was a very dark time.' She added that everything was 'taken away' and she was left wondering what to do next.
Fortunately, Kelly managed to rebuild her career, eventually fronting her self-titled ITV show since 2010. However, she remains grounded, especially after becoming a grandmother in 2024. 'Even now, I don't know what's going to happen. Nobody does,' she said. 'But since I've become a granny, I've absolutely been able to live in the now.'
Since January, Lorraine has been reduced from an hour to 30 minutes as part of a major ITV daytime schedule shake-up, with both her show and Loose Women cut to 30-week runs. Addressing the changes, Kelly told Woman magazine: 'It's a different world we live in… I'm a realist and I knew there had to be cutbacks and changes.' She remains optimistic, saying: 'This is just another change—and who knows what will happen in six months?'
Lorraine has not been on air since 26 March but is expected to return in its usual 9:30am slot on 4 May.
