Queen of daytime TV Lorraine Kelly on releasing her debut novel and her enduring love for Orkney and its people
Lorraine Kelly (64) has tried her hand at many things during her long career, but she admits that writing her debut novel was challenging.
She tells Yours, “I never want to get stuck in a rut and it’s important to try new experiences. I really enjoyed the process.
“Novelist Marian Keyes once told me that your characters can take you places you don’t expect and I wasn’t sure what she meant, but now I know that they actually do.” Her poignant first novel, The Island Swimmer, revolves around lonely Evie and the friendship she finds with a group of cold-water swimmers on Orkney, an archipelago off the north-eastern coast in Scotland. She says, “The novel is about relationships; sisters, mothers and daughters. Bad things happen and she has to leave when she is about 18.”
When Evie’s father falls desperately ill, she finally returns to the family home on Orkney. “Relationships have changed and there’s a big twist,” she says. “She’s drawn to a group of cold-water swimmers who help Evie face up to the mistakes in her past and unlock truths...
“I loved working on it. And I wrote every word myself! That was very important to me. I was editing it when my husband (former cameraman Steve Smith) and I were camping in Zimbabwe last summer. I was looking out at the hippos and the Zambezi river!”
The star left fans in awe last month after she posted a video of herself in a swimsuit plunging into the sea off Orkney to promote her novel’s release.
And Lorraine describes Orkney as her “special, happy place”. ture, the beauty, the peace, but mainly for the people. We’ve been going every year since the 1980s. I’m most at peace there and I can feel stress leaving my body when I step off the plane or ferry.”
It’s common for writers to include hidden messages and deeper meanings in their books, and Lorraine is no exception. Her new novel reiterates the message of being true to yourself which is something of a life mantra for the Scots‐born star, who has remained at the top of her game for 40 years.
Most recently she was brave enough to showcase her singing talent on ITV’s The Masked Singer. Viewers and judges were stunned when she was unveiled as the tuneful character Owl!
“I’ve always been an advocate of go your own way and do your own thing and don’t always be conforming,” she smiles.
Her philosophy is to try and enjoy every moment, which was reinforced by the tragic loss of one of her ITV colleagues on Lorraine, digital producer Hannah Hawkins, last November from breast cancer aged just 33.
Lorraine
