Lorraine returns to ITV after horror riding injury

Lorraine Kelly has returned to TV, seven weeks after a horse-riding accident, and told viewers: "It's good to be back." She received 'welcome back' messages from stars such as Justin Bieber, The Wanted and Ronan Keating as she hosted her ITV1 show once again. The 52-year-old was in hospital for more than a week after falling from a horse and then being trampled by the animal. She had to undergo surgery for a deep wound on one of her thighs. Resuming her TV role, she said she had now recovered and was pleased her injuries had not been more extensive. "I'm fine. I just keep telling myself 'You've got to look on the bright side'. I could have broken bones. It could have been so much worse," she said. And she thanked viewers for their good wishes. "I have really missed you all so much. Thanks so much for your kind words and messages. It really helped me." Lorraine was treated at St George's Hospital in Tooting, south London, following the accident and has since been recovering at home. She had been training for a modern pentathlon for the charity Piggy Bank Kids at a riding school in Surrey. During only her second lesson for the riding discipline she fell from the saddle approaching a jump.

Patrick McLennan is a London-based journalist and documentary maker who has worked as a writer, sub-editor, digital editor and TV producer in the UK and New Zealand. His CV includes spells as a news producer at the BBC and TVNZ, as well as web editor for Time Inc UK. He has produced TV news and entertainment features on personalities as diverse as Nick Cave, Tom Hardy, Clive James, Jodie Marsh and Kevin Bacon and he co-produced and directed The Ponds, which has screened in UK cinemas, BBC Four and is currently available on Netflix.

An entertainment writer with a diverse taste in TV and film, he lists Seinfeld, The Sopranos, The Chase, The Thick of It and Detectorists among his favourite shows, but steers well clear of most sci-fi.