Lorraine Kelly issues cryptic dig amid ITV cuts as she weighs in on Nadiya Hussain BBC attack
Lorraine Kelly made a seemingly loaded remark on the latest episode of her self-titled ITV chat show.
Scottish presenter Kelly, 65, knows all too well the temporary nature of television success, with the channel announcing it would be cutting her show next year.
From January next year, Lorraine will be reduced from its current hour-long format to just 30 minutes, running from 9.30am to 10am.
The programme will also air for only 30 weeks annually rather than year-round. Good Morning Britain will extend by 30 minutes, cutting into Lorraine’s traditional 9am start time.
In a further blow, ITV is also thought to have axed the key production role of Head of Lorraine. Two producers will now report directly to This Morning bosses instead.
On Wednesday’s show on July 16, Kelly was listing off recent issues being faced by the BBC, such as the axing of John Torode and Gregg Wallace from MasterChef.
She also touched on how 2015 Great British Bake Off winner Nadiya Hussain has been vocal this week about how the broadcaster mistreated her by cancelling her cooking show.
Hussain, 40, appeared on Paul Brunson’s podcast, We Need to Talk. During the chat, we admitted she had been baffled as to why the BBC had decided to axe her show.
Responding to the scathing interview, Kelly commented: “I tell you what, it’s not a good week for the BBC because Bake Off’s Nadiya won Bake Off, a lovely girl who has been on the show many times. She’s not happy at all.”
She added: “It’s strange, isn’t it? The whole thing is just baffling to me, it really is.
“Somebody that is doing very well – Nadiya did brilliant shows for them, they rated very well, everybody seemed very happy.”
Making a pointed comment that could have been a swipe at ITV, she added: “Nobody’s got a job for life though, we know that, especially not in television, we know that.”
Hussain went on to front several cooking shows following her success on the popular show, which had aired on the BBC but has since moved to Channel 4.
Her post-Bake Off programmes included Nadiya Bakes, Nadiya’s Fast Flavours and Nadiya’s Simple Spices, but the mother-of-three shared at the start of this year that none of her BBC shows have been commissioned.
On Tuesday, Brunson shared a glimpse into the candid conversation on Instagram, writing in the caption: “@nadiyajhussain reveals why the BBC really cancelled her show and why she refused to lie.
“She shares the truth about being boxed in, filtered, and her decision remove her agents and her management to start fresh.
“If you’ve ever wondered why Nadiya Hussain left the BBC, or what it’s really like to be a woman of colour in the British media industry, this conversation is a must watch.”
In an accompanying clip, the baker explained: “I kind of like, accepted in my head that I was very BBC. They’ve got me exactly where they want me,” she recalled.
The cooking expert went on: “Utterly unbiased. Neutral. I am not neutral.
“I have opinions and I have things to say. They’ll keep you ’till you’re of no use to them. And I think that’s what happened.
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“My husband and I always spoke about it, and he just said, ‘There’s going to be a point where they’re not going to need you anymore.’
“And the second you don’t fit the box… there’ll be no space for you. And I suppose I don’t fit that space anymore.
“My show got great ratings, I can’t see why my show wasn’t recommissioned.
“I decided just to do a social media post and say that the BBC have decided to no longer commission my show, and I did that off my own back. I chose to put that post out because that’s what the truth is.