Chronicle Editor
Stanford Chiwanga, [email protected]
LORRAINE Kelly, the award-winning bubbly host of ITV’s Lorraine, has always been a keen traveller who loves to share her experiences with her viewers. But nothing prepared her for the awe-inspiring beauty and charm of Zimbabwe, a country that stole her heart and left her speechless.
Born in 1959, Lorraine is a Scottish television presenter, theatrical artiste, journalist and singer. She has presented various television shows for ITV, including Good Morning Britain (1988-1992), GMTV (1993–2010), This Morning (2003-2005, 2016), Daybreak (2012-2014), The Sun Military Awards (2016-present), STV Children’s Appeal (2016–present), and her eponymous programme Lorraine (2010-present). She was appointed officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2012 New Year Honours for services to charity and the armed forces and was promoted to Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2020 Birthday Honours for services to broadcasting, journalism and charity.
On Lorraine’s first show after her long deserved vacation, co-host Derek Ross King, who is a Scottish television presenter, actor and writer, best known for being the LA Correspondent for ITV Breakfast programmes Lorraine and Good Morning Britain, insisted that before they get down to business, she had to tell them about her magical journey to Zimbabwe.
“Before we get anywhere else, I want to know about this most amazing adventure, Zimbabwe. Come on, tell me more, show me pics, I want to see it all,” Ross said.
Lorraine obliged as she took her audience on a virtual tour of her amazing trip to Southern African wonderland, where she and her husband Steve Smith had the time of their lives. With sparkling eyes and a radiant smile, she recounted their incredible journey through the wilderness of Mana Pools National Park, a Unesco World Heritage Site. She showed them stunning photos and videos of their safari, where they drove across the Zambezi River in a Jeep they hired.
“Ross, it’s the most beautiful, beautiful country, Zimbabwe. We hired a Jeep from Mana Pools, whom I know will be watching this morning from Zim, somehow they will be watching this morning. And there we are crossing the river and it was so beautiful . . . just the two of us,” said Lorraine.
They camped in style, sleeping in a tent on top of their Jeep, surrounded by the sounds and sights of nature. She gushed about the warthogs, her “favourite animals,” and the friendly elephants, who came close to greet them.
“And we saw, oh, they are my favourite, the warthogs, my favourite, favourite animals, they are so gorgeous. That’s me, Ross, in the tent, first thing in the morning and cocking my head out of the tent. It was great, it was such good, good fun and we got really up close with the animals at Mana Pools. There are these elephants at Mana Pools, they are really friendly. It was just incredible, it was beautiful and it’s a great place.”
She even shared a spine-tingling moment when a lioness visited their tent at night, but she was not scared, because she trusted Steve and the knowledgeable guides from Mana Pools.
“Do you know what, there is nothing like being outside and you hear the sound of hippos. There is the lion that we got close to, a lovely lioness, it was just beautiful. And that was at night time, she was outside our tent at night time, yes, very close,” said Lorraine.
She also raved about the beauty of Zimbabwe’s nights, when they lit a fire, cuddled up, and watched the sunset, followed by the dazzling “bush TV” of stars. She made her viewers feel as if they were there with her, witnessing the wild splendour that embraced them.
But Lorraine’s love story with Zimbabwe was not only about nature; it was also about people. She praised the warmth and hospitality of the Zimbabweans, who made her feel like family.
“They are lovely people, you know just lovely people, really friendly . . . I need to say ‘hello’ to everybody and all the people at Mana pools who were just fantastic. Great, great team. There was Godfrey, Trymore, Costa, Chris, Moses and we stayed with them at the Sunbird Guest Hotel and they couldn’t have treated us better. It was like being with your family, it really was. We are going back next year.”
With those words, Lorraine Kelly, the award-winning broadcaster, became a passionate ambassador for Zimbabwe, a country that captured her heart and soul.
Online Reporter