Lorraine Kelly has signed an exclusivity deal with ITV worth over £2 million.
The 57-year-old presenter has reportedly inked a two-and-a-half-year £2.1 million contract with the broadcaster in an agreement that will make her one of the highest-paid women on UK television.
A source told the Daily Mail newspaper: "Lorraine is a mainstay of ITV breakfast and one of its most popular stars, both on and off screen.
"She basically has complete autonomy at the station and is free to suggest ideas; she has far more editorial control than many other presenters.
"Lorraine is a true professional, and so easy to work with. It was basically a no-brainer that she’d be awarded a renewed, improved deal – and certainly, had ITV not made an offer, she’d have been snapped up elsewhere. Everyone at the station is thrilled."
It is believed both the BBC and Sky had been monitoring the situation and would have approached the Scottish star with offers if she had failed to reach an agreement with ITV.
The popular presenter – who has daughter Rosie, 23, with husband Steve Smith – will continue to front her weekday morning show ‘Lorraine’, and by the time her new contract comes to an end, she’ll have been with the broadcaster for 35 years.
She began her ITV career on ‘TV-am’ in 1989, joining ‘Good Morning Britain’ in 1990, before enjoying 16 years hosting ‘GMTV’ from 1994.
In 2012, it was revealed she would step in to host ‘Lorraine’s sister programme, ‘Daybreak’, but left after two years to focus on her main show and ‘Daybreak’ was replaced by ‘Good Morning Britain’.
Lorraine’s new pay deal is more than the £1 million a year ITV are believed to pay Holly Willoughby for her job on ‘This Morning’, while Clare Balding earns around £500,000 a year.
Lorraine Kelly lands new pay deal
