During a recent episode of ITV's "Lorraine," viewers witnessed a controversial April Fool's Day prank featuring Scottish television presenter Lorraine Kelly. The broadcast, which aired on a Tuesday morning, showcased Kelly's attempt to create a heartfelt moment by getting a tattoo live on air in honour of her granddaughter, Billie, who is the inspiration behind the tattoo design.
The 65-year-old host expressed her excitement about the tattoo she was receiving, mentioning, "I've decided to get my granddaughter's name on my arm as mentioned earlier." As the tattoo artist prepared to work, Lorraine shared her choice of purple ink, stating, "I just like purple, and it's rose’s favourite colour so it will be nice to remember Billie. The tattoo had to mean something."
The anticipation built throughout the show until Kelly presented the new tattoo, which depicted a baby footprint along with the name 'Billy' inscribed below it. However, moments later, This Morning's presenter Ben Shephard pointed out an apparent error in the spelling of her granddaughter’s name, noting, "Lorraine I'm just a little concerned about the tattoo looking at it. I'm right in saying you spell Billie with an 'ie' don't you?" Lorraine confirmed this, leading to her realisation that the tattoo artist had misspelled the name.
In shock and visibly upset, Lorraine exclaimed, "Oh jeez, oh no!" She further spiralled into frustration as she stated, "Honestly, I'm off, I've had enough. Goodbye," and promptly walked off the set. The unexpected turn of events sparked a cascade of reactions from viewers, many of whom took to social media to express their displeasure.
Comments on X (formerly Twitter) reflected a strong negative reaction to the prank, with one user questioning, "Stupid April fool today as well with Lorraine's tattoo, how stupid do they think we are?" Others echoed similar sentiments, labelling the segment as "cringeworthy," and some even suggested that the entire act seemed staged, with remarks like, "Tattoo gun not hooked up to anything. Bore off."
This episode unfolded amidst a tradition of pranks carried out by celebrities and brands on April Fool's Day, which has become an anticipated event each year. Alongside Kelly's segment, other notable pranks included Abbey Road Studios claiming it would remove its famous zebra crossing, and ITV's Scott Mills reportedly confusing BBC Radio 2 listeners with a replay of an old show.
While some attempts at humour managed to amuse audiences, Lorraine Kelly's live tattoo prank seemingly failed to resonate positively with viewers, stirring frustration instead on a day intended for light-hearted fun. Lorraine Kelly's show is broadcast weekdays at 9 am on ITV1 and STV.
Source: Noah Wire Services