Lorraine Kelly’s latest stunt shows that it’s past time for the ITV golden girl to be sacked. Her frankly disgusting tribute to the late Kim Woodburn on yesterday’s show (June 17) caused outrage from viewers at home – but it truly seems ITV will never get rid of her, no matter the uproar.
Honestly, how many ‘final straws’ can there be? Lorraine – who regularly takes school holidays off from her own self-titled show despite only having an adult daughter, has had her daytime show sliced down to 30 minutes for 30 weeks of the year. But yesterday she was allowed to break the news that the ‘Queen of Clean’ had died at the age of 83 with one of the most miserable tributes I’ve ever had the misfortune of hearing.
Kim and Lorraine had feuded in the past (Image: Getty)
Speaking to viewers live from the studio, Lorraine said: “Welcome back. Some news just breaking in the last few minutes – Kim Woodburn, who I’m sure you know, well she’s died at the age of 83. Famous of course for How Clean is Your House? and her controversial time on Celebrity Big Brother.
“A representative for Kim said: ‘It is with immense sadness that we let you know our beloved Kim Woodburn passed away yesterday following a short illness,’” Lorraine read out, before dropping the subject completely and saying cheerily: “Right, it is ten past nine!”
She couldn’t even muster an aura of faux-sadness. In fact, the news was delivered in the same chipper way she conducts all of her interviews.
Of course, the pair have had some beef in the past. When Lorraine criticised Nigel Farage’s I’m A Celeb stint, Kim appeared on GB News to slam her for “body shaming” the Reform UK MP, and didn’t mince her words.
Lorraine originally said: “I thought he was a hell of a lot older than that. That’s astonishing. Just shows you… you get the face you deserve!” hitting out at Farage only being 59 at the time of his appearance.
Kim fumed: “Look my love, she’s a stupid, stupid woman. Let’s face it now. How old is she, 63? She’s like a child in a playground. He is in there, he’s doing a splendid job. He’s polite and courteous, he’s done the [Bushtucker] Trial and got every star – leave him alone. Lorraine Kelly, you ain’t all that dear! You ain’t all that!”
Kim branded Lorraine “rude and nasty”. And to be clear, if someone said those things about me on live TV, perhaps I wouldn’t be all that chuffed. But Lorraine has had decades of practice to get her professionalism up to snuff, and again and again she disappoints.
ITV, it’s time for her to go. Ranvir Singh or Christine Lampard could do a much better job as permanent host – and they deserve their name in the title, too.
