Where is Lorraine Kelly? What’s wrong with ITV presenter, is she ill - and why is Carol Vorderman hosting show

Fans of Lorraine Kelly who have turned into her self titled ITV breakfast show, Lorraine, have been left confused after finding Carol Vorderman acting as the host.

This is what you need to know about Kelly’s absence - and when she might be back on TV screens.

Where is Lorraine Kelly?

On Monday (11 July), Kelly took to social media to reveal that she had tested positive for Covid-19 over the course of the weekend.

She wrote on Twitter: “Well the Covid has finally got me and I tested positive at the weekend. Thanks to the vaccine it’s not too bad and I hope to be back at work very soon.

“Huge thanks to @carolvorders who will be hosting @lorraine until I’m back.”

Speaking about Kelly’s absence on Monday’s episode, Vorderman said: “Sadly Lorraine has caught the dreaded you know what, and I’m sitting in for a few days here. But we are wishing her a speedy recovery.”

On Twitter, Kelly had many fans wish her a speedy recovery.

One person wrote: “Get well soon, I just wish the government would make masks obligatory in communal areas for people like me that cannot have the vaccine.”

Another tweeted: “Hope you feel better soon. I’m just recovering from Covid, even with vaccines still been poorly, but without them possibly could have been worse. Take care x”

“Hope you feel better soon Lorraine… I had it 2nd time a couple of weeks ago and thankfully no where as bad as the first bout pre vaccines x,” wrote another.

When will she be back?

Kelly didn’t mention when she would be back at work, and when she does return will likely depend on the severity of her symptoms, the speed of her recovery and when she stops testing positive for the virus.

While she said in her tweet that she hopes to be back at work “very soon”, Vorderman said that she would be sitting in for Kelly for “a few days”, so there’s a chance that the Scottish presenter could be out of commission for the rest of the week.

The current advice from the NHS for those who have tested positive for the virus, or have symptoms, states that you should try to stay at home and avoid contact with others.

The NHS says: “If you have COVID-19, you can pass on the virus to other people for up to 10 days from when your infection starts. Many people will no longer be infectious to others after five days.”

It advises that you should:

• Try and stay at home and avoid contact with other people for five days
• Avoid meeting people at higher risk from Covid-19 for 10 days, especially if their immune system means they’re at higher risk of serious illness from Covid-19, even if they’ve had a Covid-19 vaccine

People who are considered to be at higher risk of getting seriously ill from Covid-19, regardless of whether they’ve been vaccinated, include those with:

• Down’s syndrome
• Certain types of cancer (such as a blood cancer like leukaemia or lymphoma)
• Sickle cell disease
• Certain conditions affecting your blood
• Chronic kidney disease (CKD) stage 4 or 5
• Severe liver disease
• Had an organ or bone marrow transplant
• Certain autoimmune or inflammatory conditions (such as rheumatoid arthritis or inflammatory bowel disease)
• HIV or AIDS and have a weakened immune system
• A condition affecting your immune system
• A rare condition affecting the brain or nerves (multiple sclerosis, motor neurone disease, Huntington’s disease or myasthenia gravis)
• A severe problem with the brain or nerves, such as cerebral palsy
• Severe or multiple learning disabilities (or you’re on the learning disability register)
• A weakened immune system due to a medical treatment (such as steroid medicine, biological therapy, chemotherapy or radiotherapy)