Lorraine Kelly was overcome with emotion today (December 15) after her ITV show paid tribute to a member of her crew who died last month.
ITV team member Hannah Hawkins was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2020 and she then went into remission the following year.
However, tragically, just two days before the birth of her son Rory in August this year, Hannah was told her cancer had returned. She then sadly passed away the day before husband Tom’s birthday in November.
This week, Lorraine was left apologising to viewers after she paid tribute to her late colleague.
Lorraine Kelly remembers late colleague Hannah
On Friday, Lorraine Kelly was joined by Hannah’s husband Tom and their son to talk about his late wife’s legacy.
They also listened to the charity single Golden from the Check and Change choir. The group is made up of breast cancer survivors, and the song features singer Joss Stone.
After watching the video of the choir singing the song, the show cut back to the studio where Lorraine was overcome with emotion. As she wiped away her tears, she quipped: “I’m so sorry.” She then told baby Rory: “That’s your mummy’s song, that’s your mummy’s song.”
Lorraine Kelly breaks down in tears on show
Earlier on in Lorraine, Tom revealed that Hannah had listened to the charity single just hours before she died.
He also recalled how she gave him permission to move on and start a new family. He said: “Hannah said that I want you to find love again and I wanted Rory to grow up with brother and sisters.
“She had no family history of it at all. Luckily she knew the symptoms and what to look out for and this is what it’s all about. It’s about raising awareness and this is her legacy.”
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Lorraine team member passes away
Tom confirmed his wife had passed in November, via a heartbreaking statement.
His post read: “Hannah Hawkins 11.12.89 – 3.11.23. For someone who’s love language was gift giving, leaving us they day before my birthday was really not the one. I wish you’d kept the receipt.”
He then added: “There is no way I can pay tribute or sum you up in one post. In fact I could write an essay on how unfair this is. That you miss out on seeing Rory growing up, that he won’t be able to feel the love of his mum, and that this terrible illness took hold so quickly.
“But that’s not how you saw it. The remarkable person that you were, the phrase you used so many times over the last few weeks – and it set me off every time; ‘I’m so at peace with the life I’ve lived’ is something we can all admire. The fact that right until the end you were putting others feelings first and making us all laugh was just you to a tee.”
Hannah’s ‘legacy’
Tom continued: “Your life can be defined simply by love, friendship and strength. And I’ll make sure these are cornerstones of Rory’s life. I want him to know how much everyone loved his mum, and how much love you gave.
“How you would say to me in any of my dark moments, ‘remember you are so loved’. I want him to know that you were someone who could walk into a room of strangers and come out having made friends for life. And that our social calendar was always so full we physically couldn’t fit in everyone we wanted to see.
“I also want him to know the bravery you showed every day. Facing into anything life threw at you with strength of a warrior, a smile on your face and laughter in your eyes.”
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