The Queen of morning TV, Lorraine Kelly will be inviting viewers into the studio next week for a special series of shows. Here, she reveals more...
How are you feeling about hosting a special week of programmes in front of a live studio audience?
"We've taken Lorraine on the road before but we've never done it in the studio with a live audience, so I'm really looking forward to it. When we did some shows last year, to mark my 30 years in broadcasting, we had such a brilliant audience response that we wanted to get some of our viewers in. These shows are all about them."
How will these shows be different to the usual Lorraine format?
"There will be surprises, celebrity guests and lots of human interest stories – these shows are about celebrating women, their differences and achievements, and each one will have a different theme. It's also going to be very interactive. For instance, our chefs may ask someone to taste or chop something – so the audience won't just be sitting on their bottoms!"
The theme for the first show is ageing. What's your approach to growing older?
"Well, I'll be 56 in November and I've never felt better. In my teens and 20s, I'd wish my stomach was flatter and I was always going on stupid diets. But I think, as you get older, you become less hard on yourself and much more accepting. This programme will take a positive look at women of all different ages."
You embraced your newfound body confidence when you donned a bikini for a recent photoshoot. How was that?
"I was very nervous but I thought if I'm encouraging my viewers to feel confident wearing a bikini then I needed to do it myself. The photos weren't re-touched – the only thing that was fake was my tan. As women, we always tend to focus on the bad things about our bodies but, when I saw the photos, I thought: 'Actually, I’m alright!'"
Another of your special programmes looks at survival…
"We’ll be talking to people who are overcoming obstacles, like breast cancer sufferer Kris Hallenga, founder of the CoppaFeel charity, who’s now helping save lives. Everybody's got their own stories and their own problems and, hopefully, this programme will show people that, no matter how hard things get, there is light at the end of the tunnel."
Do you still get a thrill from hosting live TV?
"Definitely! You never know quite what's going to happen – on our show we cover everything from the conflict in Syria to Kim Kardashian! I feel extremely lucky to be doing what I'm doing – it's the best job on TV!"
Audience with Lorraine starts on Monday September 28 at 8.30am on ITV.
