Lorraine Kelly has insisted that no one should ‘ever be cancelled’, including Gregg Wallace, as she weighed in on criticism over her four-day working week.

Gregg stepped away from MasterChef in the wake of a number of allegations that he had indulged in Sєxist banter and harᴀssed contestants. He denies any wrongdoing. 

And presenter Lorraine has been open about her opinions in recent months, slamming the ‘toxic’ TV industry and Gregg’s ‘appalling behaviour’. 

Despite condemning the TV chef, Lorraine has now admitted in a new interview with Woman & Home that she’s ‘against cancelling people’ and you ‘should never be be cancelled for something that you believe, unless it is something heinous’.

Lorraine said: ‘If somebody is misbehaving, being inappropriate and making anyone feel uncomfortable, they have to be called out so they can apologise. 

‘I object strongly to people enabling that sort of behaviour, and that happened in the past [like with] Gregg Wallace. 

Lorraine Kelly has insisted that no one should ‘ever be cancelled’, including Gregg Wallace, as she weighed in on criticism over her four-day working week 

Gregg stepped away from MasterChef in the wake of a number of allegations that he had indulged in Sєxist banter and harᴀssed contestants 

‘You’ve got to be strong as a boss and say “No”. I’ve not had to say “No” to somebody in telly. Newspapers, yes. Very much so, I have had to stand up for myself. 

‘I’m against cancelling people. You’ve got to hear their point of view, so you can go, “They’re being an absolute t**t, what a load of old twaddle.” You should never be cancelled for something that you believe, unless it is something heinous.’ 

She added: ‘I may think you’re the biggest w***er that ever roamed the earth, but you should be allowed to express your opinion. If we only talked to people that we agreed with, we’d be living in an echo chamber, all patting each other on the back saying, “How smug are we?”‘

Lorraine also defended her working hours after being mocked online for her absences from her ITV show, with other presenters often stepping in.

And after noticing her missing on numerous occasions, one mysterious person decided to create an X profile named LorraineKWatch to track how many times the host, 65, fronted her own show for an entire year.

Hitting back at her critics, she insisted she’s been ‘working five days a week for 40 years’.

Lorraine explained: ‘Not presenting on Fridays gives me a chance to breathe and brings me in line with everyone else. 

‘Phil and Holly used to do four days, lovely Ben and Cat do four. Susanna does four and three. 

Despite condemning the TV chef, Lorraine has now admitted in a new interview with Woman & Home that she’s ‘against cancelling people’ 

Lorraine said: ‘If somebody is misbehaving, being inappropriate and making anyone feel uncomfortable, they have to be called out so they can apologise 

Lorraine also defended her working hours after being mocked online for her absences from her ITV show, with other presenters often stepping in 

‘I wasn’t sure about it at first because I’ve been working five days a week for 40 years. It was a wee bit of a wrench.’

She admitted: ‘Sometimes you’ve just got to take a step back in order to appreciate what you’ve got, and it has certainly made life a lot easier with my mum not being well. 

‘She has this horrible kidney problem, but is doing OK now. As far as looking after her goes, also with Billie and then the writing, it has been a good change.’

She gushed: ‘I couldn’t give up the show because I love it – honestly, I’d do it until I was 95! When you’re lucky enough to skip to your work – without sounding like Snow White – why would I not?’ 

For the cover shoot, Lorraine opted for colour as she slipped into an array of glamorous orange ensembles, including a ruffled skirt and a satin shirt. 

Hitting back at her critics, she insisted she’s been ‘working five days a week for 40 years’

Lorraine explained: ‘Not presenting on Fridays gives me a chance to breathe and brings me in line with everyone else’ 

Read More Lorraine Kelly still struggles with ‘working class cringe’ despite 40 years of TV success

Speaking about her own experiences with ‘toxic people,’ Lorraine talked about her decision to step away from social media.

The presenter admitted: ‘I don’t do X any more. It’s too toxic and life’s too short. I’m 65. 

‘It doesn’t bother me if somebody says horrible things about me, but if I was starting out in my career, the kind of person I was in my late 20s and 30s, I’d be destroyed.’

Lorraine spoke out about the backlash she received online last year after she discovered the X account criticising her work ethic.

Speaking on Woman’s Hour with host Anita Rani, Lorraine admitted she was aware of the account, as she quipped: ‘I know, the amount of space that I occupy in people’s heads is quite bizarre.’

Insisting the account doesn’t bother her, she explained: ‘Its fine. I don’t mind, I don’t care. I probably would have cared before but I really don’t now it’s absolutely fine.’

The April issue of Woman&Home is on sale 6 March 2025

The star went on to explain the real reason she had been missing from a number of shows was because she was taking some time off to care for her mother who is unwell. 

Lorraine continued: ‘But you should never comment on things like that if you don’t know what is going on in people’s lives but I am having to take quite a few Fridays off because my mum is really not well.

‘So I can go home now and spend some more time with her and help her a bit more than I have been able to. So that is happening just now but that will change.

‘I have been doing five days a week for 40 years so I am just taking a wee bit of time off and obviously this week is half term which is why I am able to talk to you!’

The Island Swimmer by Lorraine Kelly is out in paperback on 13 March and the April  issue of Woman&Home is on sale 6 March 2025