Lorraine Kelly credits Sir David Attenborough for existence of her debut novel
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TV presenter Lorraine Kelly has credited Sir David Attenborough for the existence of her debut novel The Island Swimmer.
Appearing on The Graham Norton Show, Kelly recounted how she used a photo of herself with Sir David to gain wi-fi access at a Zimbabwean anti-poaching station while editing her novel.
Scottish presenter Kelly told the BBC One show: “The wi-fi was terrible, so I went to the anti-poaching station to use theirs. They were a bit reluctant until I showed them a picture on my phone of me and David Attenborough.
“They were like, ‘Oh my God, you’ve met him?’. Of course, he’s like a god there so I got the wi-fi. The book is here because of David Attenborough. He doesn’t know, or indeed care, I am sure.”
She added that her appearance as Owl on the fifth series of ITV reality show The Masked Singer, during which she performed Happy Talk by Captain Sensible, was “such good fun”.
“I didn’t tell anyone about it except my husband. It was madness, but such good fun,” she said.
“I am 65 this year and I have decided just to do silly things, and this was very silly.”
Kelly was joined on the couch by American actress Jodie Foster, British actress Olivia Colman, comedian Wanda Sykes, Dune stars Austin Butler and Josh Brolin, Scottish DJ Calvin Harris and singer Rag’n’Bone Man.
Elvis star Butler discussed his “strange appearance” in the sci-fi film Dune: Part Two, which is released on March 1 and which sees him star as the bald, villainous Feyd-Rautha.
He said: “I had another film coming up and the director begged me not to shave my head. So I had to have three hours of makeup to give me a bald head and no eyebrows. It was incredible.”
Oscar-winner Foster, who plays detective Liz Danvers in the new season of TV drama True Detective: Night Country, said her character is “racist, selfish and very horny”.
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“She is just awful; everything you can hate … I can’t say much about the final episode, but it is the best, it is extraordinary. No one sees that end coming,” she said.
The 61-year-old revealed that she was offered the role of Princess Leia in the 1977 Star Wars movie, but turned it down as she was already committed to a Disney film.
Foster said: “I got the part of Princess Leia but couldn’t do it because I was already doing a Disney film.
“My life could have been so different, and I would have liked to have had the hair!”
Oscar winner Colman spoke about her performance in the new mystery comedy Wicked Little Letters.
She said: “I was amazed to find out it was a true story. I thought no one in 1920s Littlehampton would swear or behave so badly.
“It was very sweary on set too which was really fun, just great.”
Sykes spoke about her new Netflix comedy special Wanda Sykes: I’m An Entertainer, and recalled the infamous Oscars slap between Will Smith and Chris Rock.
She said: “Chris is a friend of mine so I thought I would stay to watch him. When everything happened, I thought it was a set-up but it was a real slap that was so loud.
“I remember thinking, what’s happening? It was very upsetting that no-one did anything and we all just got on with the show.”
Harris and Rag’n’Bone Man performed their new single Lovers In A Past Life on Norton’s show.
The Graham Norton Show airs on BBC One on Friday at 10.40pm.