Lorraine Kelly has spoken movingly about the death of her beloved father, admitting that she still finds it “very weird” to refer to him in the past tense.
The Scottish television presenter, 66, announced in January that her father, John, had died during what she described as an extremely distressing time for the family.
Lorraine has now explained why she felt compelled to dedicate her latest novel, The Island Secret, to the man who encouraged her lifelong curiosity and fascination with the world.
Appearing on BBC One’s The One Show on Tuesday evening, the ITV star joined presenters Alex Jones and Roman Kemp to discuss the new book.
During their conversation, Lorraine was asked why she had chosen to dedicate the story to her father.
Her answer offered an emotional glimpse into the close bond they shared and the enormous influence he had on her life.
“I needed to do that for my dad,” Lorraine said.
“He was curious and always asking questions about everything.”
The presenter revealed that John had inspired her interest in science and space from an early age.
The father and daughter watched the historic Moon landing together, creating a memory Lorraine continued to treasure decades later.
John also joined her during a visit to NASA, an experience she described as extraordinary.
“We went to visit NASA,” she recalled. “He got me really interested in space.”
Lorraine continued: “We both watched the Moon landing. To go to where it happened was just incredible.
“He got me interested in all things to do with space, when something like that is in the news.”
However, the conversation became particularly poignant when Lorraine acknowledged that she was still adjusting to speaking about John after his death.
“I still find it very weird talking about him in the past tense,” she admitted.
She added that his questioning nature helped shape the inquisitive personality viewers have seen throughout her long broadcasting career.
“He did teach me to be curious about things,” Lorraine said.
“Nosey? I like to say I’m curious.”
The light-hearted correction brought a touch of Lorraine’s familiar humour to an otherwise deeply personal tribute.
For decades, her warmth and curiosity have been central to her success as an interviewer.
Whether speaking to Hollywood actors, politicians, campaigners or families sharing difficult experiences, Lorraine has built a reputation for making guests feel comfortable while gently seeking honest answers.
Her latest comments suggested that this quality was inherited, or at least carefully encouraged, by her father.
John’s interest in the world appears to have helped nurture Lorraine’s desire to learn about people and ask questions — traits that would later become essential to her television career.
The dedication in The Island Secret therefore represents more than a simple acknowledgement.
For Lorraine, it was a way of recognising the person who helped shape both the woman and the broadcaster she became.
Her father’s death was confirmed in January when Lorraine shared a treasured photograph of them together.
At the time, she asked the public and media to respect her family’s privacy while they processed the loss.
She described the period as “very distressing” but did not initially provide extensive details about what had happened.
Reports later claimed that John had been found seriously injured on an icy path in East Kilbride, South Lanarkshire.
The area was reportedly experiencing freezing temperatures and difficult weather conditions at the time, with warnings issued for snow and ice during Storm Goretti.
According to The Sun, John died at the scene.
The publication reported that police were examining the possibility that he had slipped on the ice as part of their inquiries.
It was also claimed that staff from a nearby Tesco discovered him injured and contacted the emergency services.
Those circumstances were reported by the newspaper and were not detailed directly by Lorraine during her appearance on The One Show.
Her latest interview instead concentrated on the life John lived and the precious memories they created together.
Rather than discussing the traumatic circumstances surrounding his death, Lorraine chose to remember his intelligence, enthusiasm and enduring influence.
Her comments reflected the complicated nature of grief, particularly the difficulty of accepting that somebody who had always been present must suddenly be spoken about as part of the past.
For many bereaved families, changing from “is” to “was” can become one of the most painful adjustments.
Every conversation and memory can bring both comfort and a renewed awareness of the loss.
Lorraine’s admission that the past tense still feels unnatural showed that she remains in the early stages of navigating life without her father.
The presenter has continued working during a year marked by personal sadness, maintaining the reassuring presence that audiences have associated with her for decades.
Yet her television appearance demonstrated that grief can remain close to the surface even when someone returns to ordinary professional responsibilities.
The Island Secret has now become part of how Lorraine is preserving John’s memory.
By dedicating the book to him, she has ensured that his role in her life will remain permanently connected to her creative work.
The novel follows Lorraine’s move into fiction after years of television presenting and journalism.
Writing has allowed her to explore stories in a new format while drawing upon the curiosity her father fostered.
Her decision to mention him in the book gives readers an insight into the deeply personal inspiration behind the project.
It also creates a lasting public tribute that Lorraine can revisit in the years ahead.
The presenter has often spoken warmly about her Scottish upbringing and the family values that kept her grounded as her career grew.
Born in Glasgow and raised in East Kilbride, Lorraine began working as a reporter before becoming one of Britain’s most recognisable daytime television personalities.
She joined TV-am in the 1980s and went on to front a succession of popular morning programmes.
Her long-running ITV show Lorraine has made her a familiar presence in millions of homes.
Despite her fame, Lorraine has generally maintained a relatively private family life with husband Steve Smith and their daughter, Rosie.
Her father occasionally appeared in the personal stories she shared, but she protected much of their relationship away from public attention.
That privacy made her latest tribute especially meaningful.
Speaking openly about John allowed Lorraine to share the qualities that made him important to her without turning the family’s grief into a spectacle.
Her memories of watching the Moon landing and visiting NASA painted a picture of a father who delighted in discovery.
The Moon landing in July 1969 was watched by hundreds of millions of people around the world and became a defining moment for an entire generation.
For Lorraine, it was also an intimate family memory — a shared moment of wonder that strengthened the bond between a curious father and his young daughter.
Years later, visiting NASA gave them an opportunity to connect that childhood memory with the place at the centre of humanity’s journey into space.
Lorraine described the visit as “incredible”, suggesting it remained one of the most treasured experiences they enjoyed together.
John’s encouragement also appears to have taught her that asking questions is not something to apologise for.
Her playful distinction between being “nosey” and “curious” captured a philosophy that has guided her professional life.
Curiosity can create knowledge, empathy and connection.
It prompts people to look beyond the obvious and understand the experiences of others.
Those skills have served Lorraine throughout her career and continue to shape the stories she tells.
Although John will not see the next chapter of his daughter’s work, his influence remains present within it.
Every question Lorraine asks, every unfamiliar subject she explores and every story she writes carries something of the curiosity he encouraged.
The dedication of The Island Secret was therefore something Lorraine felt she “needed” to do, rather than merely wanted to do.
It acknowledged an emotional debt to the father who opened her eyes to the wider world.
The book also gives Lorraine a place to honour him during a period when speaking about his death still feels painfully unfamiliar.
Her appearance on The One Show was not presented as a dramatic public outpouring.
Instead, it was a gentle and heartfelt reflection from a daughter learning how to discuss someone she loved in a new and difficult tense.
Lorraine’s grief remains personal, and her family previously made clear that they needed space following John’s death.
But by sharing these memories, she allowed viewers to understand the man behind her dedication.
He was curious, constantly questioning and fascinated by everything from current events to space exploration.
Most importantly, he was a father whose influence helped his daughter build one of the most enduring careers on British television.
Lorraine may still struggle to say that John “was” rather than “is”, but his presence continues through her memories, her work and the curiosity he passed on to her.
The Island Secret now stands as a permanent tribute to that bond — and to the father she says she simply “needed” to honour.
