It’s an agonising choice we all must face during our university years - early morning lecture, or stay in your pyjamas and watch LK Today? Forget the mumsy reputation and gingham sofas. Rector of Dundee University, Lorraine Kelly is smart, determined and straight-talking, let’s face it; your mid-week hangover wouldn’t be the same without her. During the summer David Wright grabbed something comfy and chatted with the queen of daytime.

Hi Lorraine. So tell us a bit about your role as Rector of Dundee University?

I’ve actually been doing a wee thing for our fresher’s coming in September. I’ve been getting sorted out for that. And it’s graduation day tomorrow.

So you’ll be giving out the scrolls then?

I don’t do that, it’s the Chancellor that does that. But I’ll be there clapping enthusiastically. Getting my picture taken and all that kind of stuff.

Back in the day, you were going to do an English and Russian course at uni, but you chose to take a job at your local newspaper?

There was no choice, that’s what I wanted to do. And it was really difficult to get into journalism [in 1978], so I saw this as a really good opportunity. I still maintain it’s the best grounding for so many different jobs, whether it be going into nationals, or doing radio, or doing telly. That sort of basic training is invaluable. Money just can’t buy it.

Was it a difficult choice, work versus Uni?

Yeah. My Mum and Dad never said anything, but I could tell they were really disappointed. We were a very ordinary, working-class family. My Dad was very bright and should have gone to university, but of course in those days you didn’t go to university if you lived in the Gorbals. You had to be someone who had money; it was a middle-class sort of thing. I feel passionately that everybody should be entitled…everyone who wants to do it and can do it should be allowed. You should never be stopped from getting further education because you haven’t got any money.

After five years you took a lower paid job at BBC Scotland?

I did, and it was a miserable, miserable experience. But if I hadn’t done it, I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing now. I’d got to the stage where I was doing the front-page stories, I had my own column. It was really fulfilling, but I thought ‘you know what; I could stay here for the rest of my life, or make a break’. I was 22. So I used to go for every single job that the BBC advertised for. I would apply for silly jobs, such as a Farming correspondent in BBC Aberdeen. And I don’t know one end of a cow from another. I mean literally I don’t. I thought to myself: ‘they’ll remember me and one day they’ll give me the call’. And they did! I applied for the job [as a researcher], and I got the job, but it was a whopping, huge cut in salary.

Is that when you did a spot of waitressing?

Yeah, I was the worst waitress in Glasgow. But it was really good training, working at the BBC, learning from other people. However, I was told by my then boss that I would never make it in television because of my Glasgow accent.

That’s a bit harsh isn’t it?

Well, me being from Scotland, I thought so

So there weren’t any Scottish accents on Scottish telly?!

It was very R.P. Or it was posh Edinburgh, which is virtually the same thing. And nobody spoke like me on the telly. I didn’t realise it at the time, but I suppose it was quite groundbreaking, ‘cos no-one really had an accent like me on TV at that time.

But you went on to be TVAM’s Scottish correspondent?

Yeah. The guy who hired me at TVAM was Australian, and you know how classless they are [we think she means this as a compliment]. He was like, you’re Scottish, I want a Scottish correspondent. I started as the Scottish correspondent, and then I came down to London, after the Lockerbie disaster, to do the six-to-seven slot.

Your interviewing style is quite gentle. I guess you could say it’s the antithesis of Paxman?

Well it is, and it isn’t. If it’s a showbiz-type interview, there’s no point in being Paxman-like. You’re not going to get very far if you bark at people. There are ways of talking to a celebrity about their years of cocaine hell, without being aggressive. If you are aggressive, you just don’t get anywhere. The thing about GMTV is you cut your cloth as to where you are. I’d pay good money to see Jeremy Paxman go from an interview with Gordon Brown about tax, to the latest fashion and the storyline in Coronation Street. I talk to people on the sofa the way I’d chat to people before we go on.

Would you think about moving away from breakfast telly?

No, I don’t think so. I think I’ve found my niche, I really do. For Christ’s sake, I’ve been doing it for 21 years. I think I’ve found what I enjoy, and hopefully what I’m reasonably good at. And I don’t see myself getting that type of job satisfaction anywhere else. Every single day is different. For example, this week I was talking to Keanu Reeves, which was really good fun. He’s adorable, shy as anything, a wee sweetie. And we’ve been doing a story today about a woman who’s brain-damaged, and can’t remember anything at all. She’s got this kind of goldfish-type memory. Really interesting, but desperately, desperately sad story. And then these wee boys, well men….their wives or mummies have voted them as our Tasty Tradesmen. It’s a laugh!

Are you happy fronting your own show, or would you like to be part of a full-time partnership again?

To be honest with you, I like both. I’ve been very, very lucky with the people I presented with. TVAM I did with Mike Morris. GMTV, I was with Eamonn for a year before I got my own show. And when I do This Morning I’m with Philip Schofield who is the nicest man on TV, just adorable. I’ve been lucky that I’ve never had one of those horrible we’re-not-speaking-cos-we-hate-each-other type of things. Eamonn and Anthea loathed each other. I mean they’ve got over it now, but at the time it was pretty silly.

It must have been difficult for you in the middle of it?

Well actually it wasn’t. It was good for me, ‘cos I was on after they were, and everybody used to go, ‘thank God you’re here!’ I mean, they were two really nice people, who I would never have round for dinner at the same time.
At GMTV, there’s no hiding place. If you’re unhappy, people will see, they’ll know. I obviously love my job, but the day I don’t want to get up in the morning to come in, is the day I’ll stop doing it. People would see right through you.

Do the early mornings get on your nerves?

I’m getting up at a normal time now; I’m getting up at quarter-to-six. Which is normal. But I had years of getting up at three. It’s evil. Evil, evil, evil. It’s the time when most people pop off - of natural causes.

So you’re the tenth rector of Dundee Uni, and the first woman. It seems to be quite a hands-on role for you, rather than just a fancy title.

When they first asked me if I would stand, we went through a proper election, and giving out leaflets and badges. I went down the Union, and dished out my leaflets. My team got quite cross with me, because on the day of the voting, I was saying ‘now it doesn’t matter who you vote for, as long as you vote’. They were going ‘noooo, you’re supposed to say “Vote for me; it’s all about me…”’
I was really chuffed that I got in. It’s one of those things, where you could just turn up for graduation and not do anything else, but I try and do as much as I can. What’s really funny is that my robe belonged to Stephen Fry, and Stephen Fry is a bit taller than me, and the robes dangled on the ground a little bit.

Did you enjoy the honorary pub crawl?

It wasn’t me who instigated that ceremony; it was Peter Ustinov, the first Rector. It’s called 'The Drag'. He was dragged round Dundee by the Male Rugby Club, the females dragged me round. It was evil and bad and naughty. The first pub I went into I had a glass of Absinthe and a bloody big glass of Absinthe as well. It nearly blew my head off! And the next one was a pint of Guinness, and then it was a cocktail with Bailey’s and Drambuie in it. I’m not sure what happened after that, it got a bit fuzzy. I had to go and give a speech, it was hilarious. I was known in my newspaper days as Hollow-Legs Kelly, because I can handle my bevies.

Have you been watching the World Cup?

Yes. My little girl was born in England, so she’s swithering. Even though we lived in Scotland, she’s supporting England.

What do you think of Englands performance?

To be honest, I think they’re gonna have to up their game. That goal was incredible. (Joe Cole, England vs Sweden, 20/6/06 ) That was the goal of the tournament so far, it really was a cracker. It was one of those ones where you go ‘bloody hell’. But that aside, they’ve got to start playing together as a team I think. They keep saying ‘oh we don’t want to meet Germany’, but we’re going to have to meet them. And Ecuador, they’re no pushover you know. Nobody can say that’s going to be easy, it’s gonna be hard.

I hear you’re a Dundee United fan. Looking forward to the new season?

Well, we were so crap last year, we can only get better. But we’ve got a lovely manager, Craig Brewster. He’s a former Dundee United player, and a lifelong fan. During the summer, we hope they’ll be a clearout, a few signings, and we can go into the new season with a clean sheet.

Are you planning any more fitness videos?

No, that was only done because I managed to get myself back into shape. I’m one of these women, who’ll always have this floating half-stone. You know sometimes I’ll be fine, and sometimes I won’t. But I don’t beat myself up about it. I’m as healthy as I can possibly be, for a wifey of 46.

It seems you’re quite an advocate of healthy eating, or having a healthy attitude to food?

There’s nothing worse than the poor kid who’s dropped off at the house with a bundle of rice cakes. ‘Don’t give wee Johnny any ice cream’. Its like: Get over yourself, get real! They have to have treats now and again. I don’t think you can possibly expect a wee kid to exist on mung beans and rice cakes, that’s just unrealistic.

You’re the voice of so many different causes. The Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service, for example…

Blood donors are going down, and it’s the easiest thing in the world, it’s an absolute doddle. In fact it’s the most relaxing 20 minutes that I get. What’s the one thing that you could do that doesn’t cost you anything, and could help to save somebody’s life? And you get a biscuit and a cup of tea.

You’re quite a busy bee Lorraine…

I do GMTV, I do a column for The Sun, I do a column for The Sunday Post, I do a weekly agony thing for Best magazine, so the week is pretty full. It’s fine though, it’s not like I’m digging coal out of the ground with my bare hands.

Do you enjoy writing for The Sun? That’s a pretty big readership right there.

It’s really good, ‘cause there’s nobody saying what you’ve to write. What a privilege. Especially when you see somebody reading it on the train or the bus and you’re like ‘oh my God’.

Its almost like you’re the voice of Britain in a way - no pressure or anything.

The voice of Britain? I’m probably the voice of a slightly strange part of Britain.

Do you ever get sick of the ‘mumsy’ tag that people hang on you?

To be honest with you, I really don’t care. I think there’s a lot of people who will criticise breakfast television, and that’s absolutely fine. Most people who have a pop don’t really watch it that much. I think people have got this image of me, it always makes me and my family absolutely hoot with laughter when I’m called ‘bubbly’ and ‘mumsy’. He [her husband Steve] just thinks that is hilarious. He always goes, ‘maybe spiky…or sassy’.

Reality TV – have you ever considered going down that route?

I would rather eat dirt. I would honestly rather eat a bowl of dead cockroaches.
I think they must be off their heads. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll watch them, with a glass of wine and a bag of Kettle Chips. But I have no desire to learn to dance, or learn to sing or ice-skate.

Have you been watching the new Big Brother?

No, I think the bottom of the barrel has actually been scraped, and we’re onto the dirt underneath. I have no desire to watch a bunch of freaks and saddoes and people who are actually verging on the mentally-deranged. Doesn’t really appeal.
I did watch Celebrity Big Brother. Primarily because George Galloway was on, and I have to say I have never laughed so much in all my life, at George Galloway - ‘do you want me to be the cat?’

Is there someone who was your pin-up until you interviewed him?

[Without hesitation] Harrison Ford. I don’t know what he’s like now, ‘cause he’s had a wee bit of a midlife crisis, when he went and got his ears pierced, and toddled off with Calista Flockhart. But when I was interviewing him for The Fugitive, I said ‘wasn’t Bladerunner good’ and he just looked at me as if I was an insect. To be honest with you, he was bored. He’d shot that movie 6-8 months before, he was sitting in the most beautiful suite in the Dorchester Hotel, just talking about himself all day. I thought that would have been an actors’ joy! Compare that with somebody like George Clooney, who’s absolutely delightful. He’s a really decent bloke

As a gay icon, do you feel pressured to wear the finest couture?

Well I do know there are drag queens all over the country wearing my frocks, cos I’ve given them to AIDS charities. I was hoping that drag queens would wear them; they might not be glittery enough though. No, the only thing I feel under pressure about is that I do have to go out and buy my own clothes. I do have to decide in the morning what I’m going to wear, which is why I have so many faux pas.

What if you clash with the sofa?

Well, that’s going in September. I think I might donate it to charity.

I suppose you get quite attached to it.

You’d think my arse would be bloody glued to it the amount of time I spend on it.