PROGRAMME FEATURE
GMTV STAR LORRANIE KELLY REVEALS THE SECRET BEHIND HER SUCCESS – HER ACCENT!
CUIDE RI CATHY – LORRAINE KELLY
Monday 21 September, 10pm, BBC ALBA
Lorraine Kelly, one of Scotland’s most famous TV faces, reveals the secrets behind her success interviewing A-list celebrities and maintains that her biggest advantage when chatting with the stars is being Scottish!
In the first programme of a new series of Cuide ri Cathy on BBC ALBA, Cathy MacDonald spends a day with Lorraine Kelly in London, visiting the Liz Earle salon for some pampering and beauty advice before hitting Kings Road for some retail therapy.
Lorraine’s enthusiasm for her job shines through as she discusses with Cathy the celebrities she has met during the years. Despite her wealth of experience, Lorraine confesses that she still gets nervous meeting stars such as George Michael and Robert de Niro. In her meeting with de Niro, Lorraine admits to being tongue-tied as a result of not knowing what to call him – despite the star’s personal assistant telling Lorraine she could simply call him ‘Bob’.
When Cathy asks Lorraine why she believes she is so successful at interviewing the stars, Lorraine says that her nationality quickly breaks down any barriers between presenter and star. Lorraine says: “What really helps is being Scottish. As soon as they hear the accent, they say ‘where are you from?’ and inevitably, whether it’s George Clooney or Will Smith, they’ve got some connection with Scotland. It might be a relative or that they love golf or that they really really love whisky but there is some kind of connection there – it is really good and it absolutely makes it easier. The defensiveness comes down and that is fantastic – it makes all the difference.”
Once the shopping is finished, Cathy accompanies Lorraine back to her London home where we learn more about her career so far. Lorraine puts much of her success down to being in the right place at the right time, although admits that her job on the GMTV sofa suits her inquisitive or “nosey” personality!
As one of the most popular faces in the media, her time is always in demand. Lorraine spends two days a week in London filming for GMTV but also has two newspaper columns and an Agony Aunt column to keep her busy, as well as a host of fan-mail and charity commitments to attend to.
Lorraine talks about her role as Honorary Colonel of the Black Watch cadets, as well as her involvement with the Breakthrough Breast Cancer, a charity she became involved with after the death of her Grandmother from the disease. However, it is the period in the aftermath of Dunblane that has been her most poignant experience, with Lorraine providing a frank account of how her attempts to comfort the family of one of the victims led to lasting friendships being formed.
CUIDE RI CATHY will be broadcast on BBC ALBA on Monday 21 September at 22.00 and is available on Sky channel 168 & Freesat channel 110.
