ITV’s Lorraine undergoes presenter shakeup as brand new host from rival broadcaster steps in
Louise Minchin stepped in for hosting duties on Lorraine on Friday.
The former BBC Breakfast star, 55, took to the hot seat on the ITV1 morning show in place of Lorraine Kelly, who normally hosts the programme on a a daily basis.
The shakeup was revealed when Good Morning Britain hosts Kate Garraway and Ben Shephard carried out a handover from their own show to Lorraine.
Kate said: ‘Louise Minchin is in for Lorraine at nine. Hello, how lovely to see you on this side of the pond!’
Louise replied: ‘Thank you so much, it’s lovely to be here. Good morning to everyone!’
Good morning! BBC star Louise Minchin stepped in for hosting duties on ITV’s Lorraine on Friday as Lorraine Kelly was mysteriously absent
Mystery disappearance: Lorraine has hosted the show since 2010 but was nowhere to be seen on Friday’s episode
During the programme, Louise was seen working out with Dr Amir on his latest fitness routine and chatted to Hollywood star Kerry Washington.
The newsreader also gave viewers a behind-the-scenes look at the new ITV1 reality show Mamma Mia! I Have a Dream, which will see judges Samantha Barks, Alan Carr, Amber Riley and Jessie Ware searching for a pair of performers to appear in the ABBA West End jukebox musical.
There was no explanation of where Lorraine – who has often been covered by the likes of Loose Women anchor and Good Morning Britain’s Ranvir Singh during her time off – was.
But an ITV spokesperson confirmed to MailOnline: ‘Lorraine is now off for half term and will be back on Monday 6th November.’
Louise’s new role comes shortly after she alleged that BBC bosses refused to let her open BBC Breakfast despite her wealth of experience, instead always giving the honour to former co-host Dan Walker.
She said: ‘I had noticed that almost every day my male colleague was given the prestigious task of saying hello at the top of each hour, introducing the programme and doing the first interview’.
The former I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! contestant claimed that there was an ‘age-old’ system built into the running of the show.
She added: ‘There it was: age-old, systemic discrimination built into the fabric of the programme’.
Chatting with the stars: Scandal star Kerry Washington popped in for a chat about her memoir
Working out! Louise was put through her paces by Dr Ami as part of his new workout routine on the show
You can do it! Dr Amir clapped along as Louise gave the new routine a go in her Barbie pink outfit
Early morning chat: Louise was delighted to chat with her guests Dr Amir and fashion guru Mark Heyes as she took over from Lorraine for the day
Louise quit her long-running role on BBC Breakfast after almost 20 years of working on the show in 2021.
At the time, she explained: ‘I’ve loved being part of it, but I’ve decided it is time that I stopped setting my alarm for 3:40 – sometimes when I’m feeling very rebellious 3:46 in the morning – and I’m going to be leaving the programme.
‘It’s not going to be for a while, and just before anything else I wanted to thank everybody who’s watching for your loyalty and support over all those years. I have absolutely loved being part of it.
‘I will really miss it. But it is time now to stop that alarm early in the morning, and thank you for watching all those years as well
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