Christine Lampard will guest host Lorraine throughout August, it’s been confirmed.
The TV host will sit in for Lorraine Kelly this summer from Monday, 2 to Tuesday, 31 August.
On returning from maternity leave, Christine said: “I’m very excited, probably nervous as well but I’m nervous anyway. So the fact that I’ve been out of the TV world for a couple of months definitely makes me nervous to go back in again and people seeing me early in the morning – that hasn’t happened obviously for a long time!
“But it’s a really lovely feeling, it will be so nice to be back in the studios. I visited the other day and I was asked if I wanted a cup of coffee and I was like, ‘Oh my God, I would love a coffee!’ It was a real treat, and to get my hair and make up done.
“Considering I’ve hardly washed my hair for three months! It was really lovely, all those simple things.
“It will be really nice to see everybody, I know all of the team at Lorraine so well. It’s such a lovely crew and production team, I feel very, very lucky to get back even if just for a few weeks – it’s just a real, real pleasure.”
Christine went on to say she’s looking forward to welcoming guests back to the studio.
“The last stint I did on Lorraine was completely on Zoom, there was no-one in the studio at all so it’ll be lovely,” she said. “You can work with guests much better and get a sense of what their mood is when they’re in the room with you.
“I love being able to have little chats with them beforehand, I’ll always go down to the green room and have a little chat with them before they come up to the studio. Particularly if it’s not a celebrity and a member of the public who hasn’t done a TV interview before.
“It’s quite daunting for them and I like to be able to spend a little bit of time with them beforehand, so they’re comfortable. So all of those lovely aspects to it, I’m so happy that those aspects are coming back. It’ll feel a bit more real.”
And Christine shared all the advice she has been given from Lorraine as she prepares to takeover.
Christine enthused: “Lorraine is just the best! There are very few like Lorraine, she is absolutely remarkable. Considering how long she’s done this for over the years and nothing fazes her at all. She’s such a professional, she really is a very special broadcaster.
“I always feel really privileged being able to do the show because I think, ‘I hope Lorraine is happy?’ Because as long as she’s happy, I’m happy. It’s her baby and she talks about the show in that way, so it’s very, very precious to her after all these years and I’ll do my best to keep it ticking along for her until she comes back in September.
“She absolutely deserves a break, she’s been non-stop since the beginning of this pandemic. She deserves a lie in, so Ranvir and I will do our best until she gets back.”
Lorraine weekdays from 9AM on ITV and ITV Hub
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