ITV star Lorraine Kelly explains her problem with Esther McVey and slams ‘toxic atmosphere’ of politics

Lorraine Kelly criticised Esther McVey's stance on LGBT rights (Photo: Getty Images)

The TV personality criticised the Prime Ministerial hopeful for her stance on LGBT rights and said she would have preferred Scottish Conservatives leader Ruth Davidson to have stood for the leadership.

Kelly also hit out what she called the “toxic atmosphere” created by Brexit and the failings of the UK government.

LGBT rights at heart of disagreement

The two worked together on the morning television staple GMTV, but McVey was ignored by Kelly after the latter was grilled by GMB hosts Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid live on ITV on Monday (10 June).

Asked if she remembered working and got along with McVey, Kelly said, “I don’t remember love, I don’t remember at all, it was an awful long time ago”.

The topic was brought up again by Piers Morgan on Tuesday (11 June) who pushed Kelly for a response as to why she did not appear keen to speak to her former colleague.

Kelly attacked McVey’s political views and the government’s handling of Brexit. She said, “I am sick to the back teeth of the whole toxic atmosphere. I strongly disagree with her on LGBT rights and I just thought to myself, I have had enough of this.

“You have had two and a half years of going around in circles in sorting Brexit out and now we have a state in Britain where people are at each other's throats and it has to stop.”

She also stated her support for the Scottish Conservative leader, Ruth Davidson.

Kelly said, “I am really really disappointed that Ruth Davidson is not standing because she is one of the few human beings who is actually in politics right now.”

Sharing a dressing room

The two TV presenters also used to share a dressing room while working at ITV, with McVey suggesting in a press conference after her appearance on the show yesterday that the disagreement was down to her receiving a promotion ahead of Kelly.

She said, “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, then I was promoted to be partnering with Eamonn Holmes.

"But, she's great and it was a great show, and 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."

However, Kelly rubbished the claims and said, “There is no battle, I am baffled by that though because I had my own show since 1992 and I don’t think she joined until five years later and as far as sharing a dressing room goes it wasn’t like that, it was not palatial like it is now.”