Lorraine Kelly was replaced by Ben Shephard on Thursday’s episode of Lorraine after she sparked health concerns with a ‘painful to watch’ appearance earlier this week.
The latest instalment of the ITV show saw Ben, 51 – who presents This Morning every Monday to Thursday alongside Cat Deeley – step in to discuss the latest news and headlines.
As usual, the Good Morning Britain studio video linked over to Lorraine’s set to find out what viewers could expect from the upcoming episode.
Kate – who used to work with Ben on GMB – told viewers: ‘Now… Lorraine is looking a bit rough this morning, if I am honest! Ben Shephard, what are you doing?!’
Ben told her: ‘I’m not 100 per cent sure, Kate, as you know.
‘But what I can tell you is unfortunately, if you’ve been watching this week, Lorraine’s voice has been very bad. It’s been getting worse.
Lorraine Kelly was replaced by Ben Shephard on Thursday’s episode of Lorraine after she sparked health concerns with a ‘painful to watch’ appearance earlier this week
Ben told viewers: ‘But what I can tell you is unfortunately, if you’ve been watching this week, Lorraine’s voice has been very bad. It’s been getting worse’
Earlier this week Lorraine sparked concern from worried viewers of her ITV show who begged her to ‘go home and rest!’ amid health concerns
‘It finally collapsed last night, she couldn’t say a thing! Much to Steve’s delight.
‘Just a few squeaks here and there. So I’ve jumped into the hot seat just for today.’
Many took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to share how much they enjoyed Ben on their screens.
‘Omg how refreshing is it to see @benshepherd on #Lorraine!’
‘Was just thinking the same.’
‘It’s really refreshing to see Ben.’
‘It’s sad that poor Lorraine is too unwell for work today, but it’s lovely to have an extra half hour of Ben!’
Earlier this week Lorraine sparked concern from worried viewers of her ITV show who begged her to ‘go home and rest!’ amid health concerns.
Many took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to share how much they enjoyed Ben on their screens
Many rushed to X, formerly known as Twitter, to share how excited they were to see Ben on Lorraine
The presenter was joined by guests including actor Martin Clunes and MP Naz Shah on Tuesday’s episode.
However Lorraine noticeably had a sore throat, with viewers taking to social media to express their thoughts.
One wrote on X: ‘Go home and rest your voice, lots of honey and lemon #Lorraine.’
Another penned: ‘Lorraine comes into the studio spreading her Germs to everyone!!! #itv #lorraine.’
A third agreed: ‘Lorraine’s voice is making my throat feel sore #Lorraine.’
A fourth chimed in: ‘God @lorraine is painful to listen to and watch #lorraine.’
Elsewhere in the programme, Lorraine spoke to MP Naz Shah, who discussed her new book titled Honoured.
Naz, 52, has been MP for Bradford West for over ten years and in the past has faced issues such as forced marriage, homelessness and her mother’s imprisonment for killing an abusive partner.
Addressing her resilience, Naz said: ‘When I tried to kill myself and my mum found out, when I had my stomach pumped, I remember her saying: “What happens to me if you’re not here?”
‘So it was like the pressure of having to be there for my mum. Having to be there for my younger brother and sister who were 11 and 13, who were made homeless when we lost everything.
‘You have that kind of pressure to perform, to survive, because you’ve got an obligation which is beyond yourself.’
She added: ‘So you’ve got two teenagers to look after and a mother who’s in prison.
‘Then you’ve got the fight to fight for her, which would take me 14 years before she came home.
‘So you carry on and as a woman, we rise to a challenge, don’t we?’
Taking to X, concerned viewers were commenting on Lorraine’s sore throat
Furthermore, the episode also featured a discussion about Waterloo Road and Emmerdale star Adam Thomas, who published a social media video about his experience with arthritis.
Back in January, the 37-year-old vowed he’s going to ‘start taking care of his body again’ after suffering from ‘severe pain’.
He said in the clip: ‘It basically means my immune system is attacking my own body.
‘Some days, it’s everywhere. It’s swelling and it’s exhaustion that sleep doesn’t fix.
‘And sometimes, it’s smiling through the pain. Pretending everything is okay, when it’s not.’
Adam added: ‘Now the hardest part isn’t always the pain, it’s unpredictability.
‘One day you’re completely fine and then the next day, you’re in that much pain that you can barely even get out of bed.
‘It affects everything – your confidence, mental health, your physical health.’
Elsewhere, fans of Lorraine and Loose Women will be disrupted as the popular shows will not be on air for a WEEK next month.
They have been removed from the schedule to make way for the ever-popular horse racing event, the Cheltenham Festival, which kicks off on March 10.
The changes will be implemented from Monday, March 9, with Good Morning Britain having its running time extended until 10am.
It will be followed by This Morning, which airs from 10am, before coverage of the prestigious race begins at 12.30pm.
News of the schedule change follows a number of brutal cost-saving cuts at ITV that resulted in over 200 members of staff being made redundant.
The changes were the result of lower viewer numbers and a general shift towards television consumption via streaming services online.
Lorraine airs weekdays on ITV1 and ITVX from 9.30am.
