Published: 22 March 2014
TV interviewer Lorraine Kelly:
‘Covering the Dunblane shooting shook my world. Pam Ross, whose five-year-old daughter Joanna was killed, invited me into their home and I saw Joanna in her coffin. It was heartbreaking’
We ask a celebrity a set of devilishly probing questions – and only accept THE definitive answer. This week it’s presenter Lorraine Kelly’s turn
The prized possession you value above all others... An amazing album of photos with little stories and lovely messages given to me by my daughter Rosie, who’s 19 now, on Mother’s Day four years ago. It’s totally irreplaceable.
The biggest regret you wish you could amend... Not learning another language. I’d love to speak Chinese – I wish I could take a pill and be fluent because at the age of 54 I haven’t a hope of learning it.
The pet hate that makes your hackles rise... Bigotry. I can’t stand people who always think they’re right and refuse to accept another person’s viewpoint.
The film you can watch time and time again... All About Eve with Bette Davis is the most perfect film with brilliant acting and the dialogue crackles.
The book that holds an everlasting resonance... Greenvoe by the late George Mackay Brown. It’s set on Orkney – a place I love – and is full of fascinating island characters and lyrical language. His writing is like poetry.
The priority activity if you were the Invisible Woman for a day... I’d go into the Irn-Bru drinks factory and find out its secret recipe. It’s great for hangovers!
The temptation you wish you could resist... If I open a packet of HobNobs, or a box of Roses, I keep going until I’ve eaten the lot.
The person who has influenced you most... My mum, who’s 72. She taught me to want to be the best I can be.
The figure from history for whom you’d most like to buy a pie and a pint... The polar explorer Ernest Shackleton is my absolute hero. He was such an inspiring man. I’d love to talk to him about his tenacity and leadership and what drove him.
The piece of wisdom you would pass on to a child... Don’t waste your time worrying about small things. There’s too much needless angst in the young.
The unlikely interest that engages your curiosity... Astronomy. My dad, John, was into it and I got my first telescope aged five – I even had a model of the solar system in my bedroom. The passion has never left me and I love going to the Dundee observatory.
The treasured item you lost and wish you could have again... A silver charm bracelet I was given by my mum when I was 12. It went missing a few years later during a house move.
The unending quest that drives you on... To get better at everything I do.
The poem that touches your soul... Robert Burns’ A Man’s A Man For A’ That. No matter who you are or what you have, we’re all equal.
The misapprehension about yourself you wish you could erase...That I will be the life and soul at a party. Because of my job, people think I’ll be the one entertaining everyone. I’m quite shy and more of a listener. My husband Steve’s the one who’ll be up dancing.
The event that altered the course of your life and character... The Lockerbie disaster in 1988. I was the Scotland correspondent for TV.am at the time. I was just 29 and I’d been in the job for two years. That story was so shocking and chilling to report that it made me grow up.
The crime you would commit knowing you could get away with it.. I’d break into the secret US archives and find out who was really behind JFK’s death.
The song that means most to you...Careful, by Scottish pop singer Horse McDonald, is the most beautiful love song. She’s a good friend of mine and she turned up at my house a few years ago and serenaded me with it after I’d fallen off a horse!
The happiest moment you will cherish forever... After my daughter’s birth, it’s getting my OBE for services to charity from the Queen at Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh in 2012. I cried.
The way you would spend your fantasy 24 hours, with no travel restrictions...I’d have the best sushi and tempura vegetables for breakfast in Tokyo with Rosie and Steve, then we’d wander around looking at the young people and their amazing fashion sense. We’d go on safari in Tanzania, with a picnic lunch deep in the bush. I’d have a tennis lesson with Andy Murray on Centre Court at Wimbledon – with strawberries and cream for the warm down! Later I’d go for a walk on the beautiful white sands on the Isle of Barra, in the Outer Hebrides. It would be 80º and I’d cook a fantastic barbecue for all the family, including Mum and Dad and my brother Graham. We’d have cold Cava, which I actually prefer to expensive champagne, and dance on the beach. I’d end the day watching the Southern Lights at the South Pole, then sleep under a dome there with the amazing night sky above me.
The saddest time that shook your world... Covering the Dunblane shooting. Pam Ross, whose five-year-old daughter Joanna was killed, invited me into their home and I saw Joanna in her coffin. It was heartbreaking.
The unfulfilled ambition that continues to haunt you... To go into space.
The philosophy that underpins your life... Squeeze every last drop of happiness out of every day.
The order of service at your funeral... I want a humanist ceremony conducted by someone who knew me. I’d like a piper playing a lament or two and to finish with a ceilidh dance. I’d like my ashes scattered in the Outer Hebrides.
The way you want to be remembered... As a good mum and a loyal friend.
The Plug... Lorraine Kelly’s book Scotland is published by Bantam Press in hardback, £18.99. Visit www. lorrainekelly.tv.
Copyright: Rob McGibbon/Accessinterviews.com 2011 (2014). All rights reserved