Lorraine Kelly appeared to “snub” her former GMTV colleague and Tory leadership hopeful, MP Esther McVey, on air.
During a live link to ITV’s Lorraine from Good Morning Britain, where McVey appeared as a guest, Susanna Reid said: “Do you remember Esther McVey from her GMTV days?”
Scottish presenter Kelly glossed over the question, shook her head and said curtly: “Yeah, yes I do. OK, coming up after half past eight…”
Piers Morgan then quizzed Kelly, saying: “So you got on with Esther then Lorraine?” to which Kelly replied: “I don’t remember love, I don’t remember at all, it was an awful long time ago.”
Morgan went on to joke that if “looks could kill she’d be six feet under” and added that he’d “love to hear the back story”.
Kelly has not yet commented on the awkward exchange.
Later in the day, while addressing an audience at a meeting of the Eurosceptic Bruges Group in central London, Ms McVey was asked by an ITV reporter what went on between her and Kelly.
She replied: “Well, we used to share a dressing room and she used to be the programme afterwards and obviously she used to be partnered with Eamonn Holmes and then I was promoted to be partnering with Eamonn Holmes.
“But she’s great and it was a great show. I can’t believe it, I think it was 20 years ago I did that show, but never mind, it was really good at the time, it was really good fun.”
