Lorraine Kelly returns to host ITV show after parody account suddenly shuts down

After Lorraine Kelly hit back at the trolling she faces, the account created to track how often she presents her own show is being removed from X following her weekend comments

Host Lorraine Kelly looked happy as she returned to her show today (
Image: ITV)

Beaming Lorraine Kelly returned to host her show hours after the satire account used to track how often she turns up for work was closed down.

Where is Lorraine? (@lorrainekwatch) popped up on Twitter, now X, two years ago and describes itself as the “self-appointed attendance officer of daytime TV” with its job to “track Lorraine Kelly’s attendance.” Last year, the account revealed Lorraine had only hosted 59.7% of the episodes of show bearing her name.

Despite the fun-poking account amassing a huge following, the Scottish star wasn’t tickled by it. “It’s really hurtful actually. It really is. I’ve not spoken about it before. I’m a grafter and I work really hard and I’ve had to take Fridays off for the past year. I just thought it was weird to care so much,” Lorraine says in an interview this weekend.

The star, whose hosting stats for this year currently stand at 67.5%, went on to tell The Guardian: “Initially, it was for my mum who has been ill. And it sort of brings you into line with everyone else because if you look at This Morning, everybody else does four days. And as I’m getting older, I want to do other things, more writing, all of that. Mate, I’ve been doing this for 40 years, working my a**e off.”

She won’t have to worry when she scrolls on X any longer (
Image:
ITV)

Asked if perhaps the criticism due to her show being called Lorraine, the BAFTA winning TV star replies: “I get that. I get that 100% because This Morning is just called This Morning and GMB is just GMB. Maybe it just started off as a wee joke, but it’s the way that everyone piles on. It starts off as a wee tiny thing and it gets bigger and bigger. I find it really sad.”

The unnamed owner of the account read the interview and decided it is the right time to call it a day, saying: “I have always said that if Lorraine or her team reached out and asked me to stop this account then I would. While I have not had contact with Lorraine or anybody affiliated with her, her comments in this weekend’s The Guardian make it clear that the joke has run its course and it is time for it to end.

“I have said time and time again that this was only ever meant to be fun and I’m very grateful to everybody who has enjoyed it with me. There was never any intention of hurting Lorraine’s feelings and I am sorry if I have done so. Goodbye my Lorrainvirstines.”

The man behind the Where is Lorraine? account vowed to continue tracking Lorraine’s ITV appearances earlier this year Speaking to Metro, the anonymous user said: “The concept tires quite quickly. I don’t know how much life is left in it but I’ll continue for now. X can be a horrible place so if I can bring something that’s a bit of fun that can make people laugh then why not?”

Lorraine had previously said that she finds it rather amusing. Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour, Lorraine said: “The amount of space I occupy in people’s heads is quite bizarre. It’s hilarious, it’s fine, I don’t mind, I don’t care, I probably would have cared before but I really don’t now, it’s absolutely fine. To be honest, you should never comment on things like that if you don’t know what is going on in people’s lives, but I am having to take quite a few Fridays off because my mum really isn’t well.”