Lorraine Kelly confessed she was "crushed" when she was told six words she never wanted to hear.
The ITV favourite was celebrated in a new documentary, Lorraine Kelly: 40 Unforgettable Years. In the programme, she discussed how she was originally supposed to go to university to study Russian before applying for a job at her local newspaper as a junior reporter.
When she finally landed a job at the BBC, she realised she wanted to be a television journalist. But that all went wrong when a boss called her into his office to say: "You'll never make it in TV. Not with that accent."
Lorraine admitted she was "crushed" by the news – and Alison Hammond rushed to support her on the documentary, insisting Lorraine paved the way for people without an RP accent to make it in the world of telly.
Speaking on the show, Lorraine said: "After five years at the East Kilbride News, I felt ready to move on. I was always wanting to test myself, so I thought, 'I wouldn't mind having a try at the BBC.'
"Well I applied for every job under the sun at the BBC, and eventually I think I wore them down. They gave me a job as a researcher, and they used to send me out to do vox pops and talk to people.
"I thought, 'I'd love to be a reporter on TV one day'. That was the aim, that was my absolute ambition. The big boss pulled me in to the office one day and I thought he was going to offer me a job," she added.
"I remember him taking his glasses down and looking at me and he said, 'You're never gonna make it in television. Not with that accent. You're gonna have to go and get elocution lessons or it's never going to happen. I was crushed."
Elsewhere on the show, Lorraine's mum appeared on screen – and fans couldn't believe the uncanny resemblance between them. One took to X to say: "Lorraine's mum looks so much like her!"
Along with her mum, ex-GMB host Piers Morgan also popped up as a commentator on the show – making his comeback after storming off ITV.
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