Lorraine Kelly took aim at Rita Ora and Kay Burley who brazenly flouted the COVID-19 lockdown on Friday in her expletive-laden version of the Queen’s Christmas message.
The usually mild-mannered presenter stepped in to host The Last Leg on Friday, and brazenly claimed that stars who had broken the rules could ‘go f**k themselves,’ as she wished the nation a Merry Christmas.
Rita was forced to apologise last month after it emerged she’d thrown a star-studded party with 30 friends to celebrate her 30th birthday at a London restaurant, despite the rest of England being in a strict lockdown.
She said what? Lorraine Kelly took aim at Rita Ora and Kay Burley who brazenly flouted the COVID-19 lockdown on Friday in her expletive-laden version of the Christmas message
Lorraine joined Alex Brooker and Josh Widdecombe to present The Last Leg after Adam Hills travelled back to Australia, where he would spend two weeks in quarantine before joining his family for Christmas,
As the so-called ‘Queen of Daytime TV’, she delivered her version of the annual Christmas message, and quickly took the chance to blast stars such as Rita who broke the rules.
She began: ‘Well as we come to the end of what’s been a troubled year, not so much Annus horribilis but more of an annus s**t stormas.
‘With rows over Brexit, coronavirus, Dundee United losing to Livingstone 2-0 last week, we’re reminded more than ever of what’s important, friends and family, and Christmas is a time to celebrate both.’
Caught in the act: The presenter claimed stars who had flouted lockdown rules could ‘go f**k themselves,’ after Rita faced backlash by throwing a party to celebrate her 30th birthday
Brutal: Lorraine stepped in as guest host of The Last Leg on Friday, and took aim at celebrities who broke COVID-19 rules in her alternative version of the Queen’s Christmas message
Poking fun at Adam’s lengthy isolation in a Melbourne hotel, Lorraine added: ‘Whether it’s social distancing, wearing masks, shielding, or flying to the other side of the world to spend 2 weeks in a five star hotel with 24 hour room service, w**king yourself stupid let’s do it together.
She concluded: ‘So to all of us who sacrificed so much this year, I wish you a very happy Christmas and a prosperous 2021, unless of course you are a celebrity who broke the rules of lockdown, in that case you can go f**k yourself!’
Lorraine’s use of the F bomb sparked a cheer from the show’s crew, while presenters were stunned to see the host use such strong language.
Savage: As the message came to a close, she declared: ‘Of course if you are a celebrity who broke the rules of lockdown, in that case you can go f**k yourself!’
Having previously served with a glass of mulled WKD, Alex joked: ‘I told you this s**t was strong!’ while Josh quickly sent the show into a break so they could ‘give Lorraine a coffee.’
Rita was slammed for throwing her birthday bash at the exclusive Casa Cruz restaurant in Notting Hill, west London, while England was still in lockdown,
For this she apologised with the following statement: ‘Hello all, I attended a small gathering with some friends to celebrate my 30th birthday.
‘It was a spur of the moment decision made with the misguided view that we were coming out of lockdown and this would be OK…
Gasp! Lorraine’s use of the F work left hosts Josh Widdecombe, Alex Brooker and Adam Hills stunned, and they quickly cut to a break
Controversy: Rita was forced to issue a public apology after it emerged she’d thrown a 30th birthday party at the Casa Cruz restaurant during the second lockdown
‘I’m deeply sorry for breaking the rules and in turn understand that this puts people at risk.
‘This was a serious and inexcusable error of judgement. Given the restrictions, I realise how irresponsible these actions were and I take full responsibility.
‘I feel particularly embarrassed knowing first-hand how hard people have worked to combat this terrible illness and being fully aware of the sacrifices that people and businesses have made to help keep us all safe.
‘Even though this won’t make it right, I want to sincerely apologise.’
She paid the hefty £10k fine for breaching these protocols, having been reported to the police, who investigated the restaurant, which, to any passers-by, looked to be closed up.
Meanwhile Sky News presenter Kay was suspended from the channel for six months after it emerged she’d thrown a party to celebrate her 60th birthday which broke tier 2 rules, which ban different households from mixing indoors.
Following the station’s internal review, a statement was read on air that said: ‘Revealing that ‘over the course of the evening, COVID guidelines were breached. Sky News expects all team members to fully comply with the Covid restrictions. All those involved regret the incident and have apologised.
‘Following our review of what took place on 5th December, we have agreed with Beth Rigby and Inzamam Rashid that they will not be on air for three months, and we have agreed with Kay Burley that she will not be on air for six months.’
Kay then published her own statement on social media, confirming she would ‘step back from her broadcasting role for a period of reflection’.
She added: ‘It doesn’t matter that I thought I was COVID-compliant… the fact is I was wrong, I made a big mistake, and I am sorry.
‘Some dear friends and colleagues – some of the most talented and committed professionals in our business – have been pulled into this episode and I regret this enormously.
‘I was one of the founding presenters on Sky News. No one is prouder of our channel’s reputation, the professionals on our team, and the impact we make.
‘I very much look forward to being able to continue my 32-year career with Sky when I return.’