Lorraine Kelly admitted she is "really proud" to have had a career on daytime television as she collected her Special Award at the BAFTA TV Awards with P+O Cruises on Sunday (12.05.24) night.
Lorraine Kelly was given the Special Award at the BAFTA TV Awards following her 40-year career in broadcast
The 64-year-old broadcaster started off her television career on'TV-am' in the 1980s before hosting her own segment on 'GMTV' for a number of years and landed her own self-titled early morning show on ITV1 in 2010 but insisted that she has "never, ever" taken any of her success for granted.
Following a VT of tributes led by her ITV Daytime colleagues such as 'Good Morning Britain' host Susanna Reid and 'This Morning' star Ben Shephard, as well as Hollywood stars like Dame Helen Mirren, Lorraine took to the stage at the Royal Festival Hall and said: "This is amazing, thank you so much BAFTA, it's such an honour!
"I've got to thank everybody that I've worked with over the 40 years, I'm really proud to work on breakfast and on daytime telly. We're campaigning, we're groundbreaking but we also have an awful lot of fun.
"I never, ever take it for granted that so many people trust me with their stories and I'm so honoured that our viewers think of me as a pal. I suppose if I've learned anything at all over the past 40 years is...what's the point of having all this experience if you don't actually share it or pass it on and help others?"
Lorraine - who was born into a working-class family in Glasgow, Scotland and got her start on a local newspaper -concluded her acceptance speech by begging industry bosses to keep a level playing field.
She said: "I would just say...don't pull up the ladder, please make it possible for kids like me from a very Glasgow background...I just want everyone to have the same opportunities that I did!
"This means the world...I'm on the telly tomorrow but I'm gonna celebrate tonight!"
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