Lorraine Kelly has addressed her infamous 2019 tax tribunal case, saying she doesn’t want people to think she would “do anything to get out of paying what I should be paying”.
In the ITV breakfast presenter’s reported £1.2million tax battle with HMRC, a judge ruled that she was right to be classed as a freelancer – rather than a direct employee of ITV – meaning that payments to her agent were allowed as a tax-deductible expense.
However, most headlines related to the judge’s comments that Lorraine had an on-air persona and all parts of her ITV show were “a performance”, describing her “act” as that of “a friendly, chatty and fun personality”.
The internet subsequently had a field day with jokes about Lorraine’s performance as chatty breakfast show host “Lorraine Kelly” on her morning show, Lorraine.
Now speaking to the Guardian about the episode, Lorraine says she was happy to address the case “because I’ve never got my chance to put my side of the story across”.
“I don’t want people to think I would do anything to get out of paying what I should be paying,” she said.
“I’m a firm believer in the NHS, a firm believer in better education and housing and looking after people who can’t help themselves.
“I was brought up in a very working-class background where you pay your dues.”
Lorraine also said she could “laugh at” the hilarity that ensued when the judge said that they “did not accept that Ms Kelly simply appeared as herself” on TV, instead presenting “a persona of herself”, which is “public ‘Lorraine Kelly’”.
The story was the subject of jokes once again when Lorraine made an appearance on RuPaul’s Drag Race UK last year.
Of the “actress” jibes, Lorraine told the Guardian: “It was, sadly, a bit of a misinterpretation but I knew what (the judge) meant.
“Obviously, it’s given people great hilarity and I can live with that.”