Television presenter Lorraine Kelly has revealed that her father John has passed away aged 84, sharing the news with followers on Instagram this afternoon.
The 66-year-old Scottish broadcaster posted a photograph of herself alongside her late father, paying tribute to the man who sparked her lifelong fascination with the cosmos.
“I am mourning the man who bought me a telescope when I was five years old, who watched the moon landings with me and taught me to always be curious and interested in everything,” she wrote.
Despite John having experienced poor health recently, Ms Kelly described his death as a shock, asking for privacy as she and her brother Graham focus on supporting their mother.
John spent his working life as a television service engineer, passing on his enthusiasm for astronomy and science to his daughter.
He and Ms Kelly’s mother Anne were married for more than 65 years, having become parents when he was just 18 and she was 17.
The family’s early years were spent in modest circumstances in Glasgow’s Gorbals district, where all four family members shared a single room until Ms Kelly reached her teens.
Writing previously in The Times, Ms Kelly recalled the cramped living conditions with a sink and cooker in one corner and a bed in a recess, crediting her father’s “sheer hard graft” for lifting them from their deprived background.
Lorraine Kelly has announced the death of her father
|
PA
The presenter had previously spoken of her fears about losing her father back in 2021, when he faced a serious health crisis involving a major infection and heart failure.
Speaking to The Mirror at the time, she described months of uncertainty: “We went through a few very tough months thinking we were going to lose him. It was just awful – but he was amazing, he rallied.”
John had been hospitalised and was discharged shortly before the Covid pandemic began, with doctors initially suspecting lung cancer before determining he had a severe infection.
Ms Kelly has also been helping to care for her mother, Anne, who suffers from the kidney condition nephrotic syndrome, reducing her ITV working hours to provide support.
Lorraine Kelly is a well-known TV presenter
|
PA
Messages of support have flooded in from colleagues and public figures following the announcement.
Good Morning Britain presenter Charlotte Hawkins described the news as “heartbreaking”, while Dr Amir Khan, a regular guest on Ms Kelly’s morning programme, acknowledged the close bond she shares with her family.
Vanessa Feltz offered her “deepest condolences”, writing: “I know what a close and loving family you are.”
Comedian Dawn French sent a simple message of comfort, saying “Love wrapped around you”, and former Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon also expressed her sympathies.
Lorraine Kelly was flooded with support from ITV colleagues
|
GETTYEastEnders actress Harriet Thorpe described it as an “impossible time”, while vocal coach Yvie Burnett said she “totally understood” how Ms Kelly must be feeling.
And Loose Women’s Coleen Nolan echoed: “So very sorry for your loss, Lorraine, thinking of you and sending you and the family a big virtual hug.” (sic)