Lorraine Kelly shares when she'll retire from TV after 'amazing' year of milestones

Lorraine Kelly has revealed she hopes to stay in broadcasting for as long as possible, ahead of turning 65 next month. In what she's described as an "amazing" year so far, the presenter has penned a new book, celebrated becoming a grandmother for the first time to daughter Rosie's baby Billie, and has been honoured with a BAFTA for her long-standing contribution to television.

As her next milestone approaches, it may seem like the perfect time to slow down, but the television host is far from ready to take a step back while she's still enjoying the ride.

She told Hello! Magazine: "I've always said if the day comes when I think I don't really want to go to work, I will stop. I've never felt that and I don't think I ever will, because every day is different."

Addressing the highlight of her year, she added: "This year has been amazing, but obviously the most wonderful uplifting thing was the birth of Billie," reports the Daily Record.

Lorraine has been at the helm of her self-titled ITV show since 2010 after many years on GMTV. Recently, viewers were treated to Lorraine Kelly: 40 Unforgettable Years, a documentary exploring her illustrious career and life behind the cameras.

The film featured tributes from ITV colleagues including Susanna Reid of Good Morning Britain and her former co-host Piers Morgan. Describing Lorraine's qualities, Piers commented: "Lorraine is an iron first in a velvet glove. She creates a persona that people think is very benign, very nice, very smiley but underneath it is a proper journalist."

Susanna Reid went on to describe Lorraine as "a trailblazer for women" during the hour-long special, while This Morning's Alison Hammond added: "She definitely has paved the way for other presenters and the likes of me who have different accents."

Discussing the challenges she faced in her career, the presenter revealed that she was once told she would "never make it" in television due to her working-class Glasgow accent.

Reflecting on this remark, she said: "It was actually the best thing that could have happened: that comment spurred me to phone the boss of the relatively new breakfast TV station TV- am, who asked me to come down for an interview and then hired me as Scottish correspondent (Bruce Gyngell was Australian so didn't have the same class prejudices reporter!)."

She continued: "The high cost of living and working now makes it almost impossible for working class kids from the rest of the country to accept a job in London. That has to change. There also needs to be more opportunities outside of London."

Lorraine went on to say: "We quite rightly have stressed the importance of diversity in recent years, but that also has to include young working-class people who understand and can relate to the vast majority of our viewers."

The presenter concluded that it was "in all of our interests" to ensure that those in her previous position "have the opportunity to have their voices heard".