A morning TV mainstay has announced the death of her father following a reported fall outside.
John Kelly, the father of TV presenter Lorraine Kelly, died on Jan. 10 after a reported fall on ice in extremely cold temperatures. Kelly, who has hosted morning shows in the U.K. since the ’80s, announced his death at age 84 via Instagram.
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“Very sad news. My dad has died,” Lorraine Kelly wrote on Instagram. “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. He was in poor health but it has still been a shock.
“Any of you who have experienced a similar loss will know how my brother Graham and I are feeling. Our priority is taking care of my mum and the family would very much appreciate privacy at this distressing time. We will miss you dad.”
The “shock” bit was elaborated on in media reports. The Sun reports that employees at a Tesco in East Kilbride, South Lanarkshire, found John on the ground near the store at 7 a.m. local time. They contacted authorities, but John was declared dead at the scene.
Temperatures were below freezing at the time, and a “slip on ice” is the probable cause of the incident that cops pointing towards as of press time.
Lorraine is known for hosting numerous morning/daytime talk shows. She’s led This Morning, Good Morning Britain, Daybreak and GMTV, among others. She currently hosts Lorraine, a talk show on ITV that premiered back in 2010.