Lorraine Kelly forced to backtrack after sharing ‘wrong information’ – pausing live show with a Eurovision 2026 announcement

Lorraine Kelly was forced to abruptly halt her live show on Friday after accidentally sharing the ‘wrong information’ with viewers.

The Scottish presenter, 66, had confidently told viewers that Culture Club icon Boy George could be appearing at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest representing Italy with an Italian vocalist.

However, during her fashion section with style guru Mark Heye, she suddenly stopped their assessment of his top high street picks to reveal that she had made a mistake.

Putting a finger on her earpiece, Lorraine said: ‘Mark I’ve just had breaking news. Boy George is not Italy. It’s not us either, it’s San Marino.

‘You have to get these things right, it’s really important.’

Lorraine then went on to make light of the UK’s typically poor performances in the contest, adding: ‘I’m almost glad that he’s not doing the UK because we never win anyway.’

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Lorraine Kelly was forced to abruptly halt her live show on Friday after accidentally sharing the ‘wrong information’ with viewers

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The Scottish presenter, 66, had confidently told viewers that Culture Club icon Boy George could be appearing at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest representing Italy with an Italian vocalist

The host then quickly turned the subject back to the topic at hand, high street bargains, admitting: ‘I know and it’s all very embarrassing, anywho let’s get back to this.’

To put her remark into context, the UK last won Eurovision way back in 1997 with Katrina and the Waves’s song Love Shine a Light.

Boy George will reportedly be singing a song called Superstar with Senhit, who previously appeared at Eurovision in 2021.

Earning 22nd place for San Marino, a landlocked country surrounded entirely by Italy, it’s hoped that Boy George’s big-name status could help her to perform better in the competition.

A source told Daily Star: ‘San Marino’s team are thrilled they have managed to get Boy George to put himself forward. It’s quite the coup.

‘Getting such a big name to represent them would be an incredible moment. It would be such a big moment for San Marino.’

This year’s Eurovision Song Contest, which will take place in May, is being hosted in the Austrian capital of Vienna.

Lorraine’s slip-up comes after it was recently revealed that her long-running show will be cancelled for a week next month.

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Putting a finger on her earpiece, Lorraine said: ‘Mark I’ve just had breaking news . Boy George is not Italy. It’s not us either, it’s San Marino. You have to get these things right, it’s really important’

Both Lorraine and Loose Women have been removed from the ITV schedule to make way for the ever-popular horse racing event, the Cheltenham Festival, which kicks off on March 10.

The changes will be implemented from Monday, March 9, with Good Morning Britain having its running time extended until 10am. 

It will be followed by This Morning, which airs from 10am, before coverage of the prestigious race begins at 12:30pm.

News of the schedule change follows a number of brutal cost-cutting cuts at ITV that resulted in over 200 members of staff being made redundant.

The changes were the result of lower viewer numbers and a general shift towards television consumption via streaming services online.