Lorraine Kelly took a moment during the ITV show to pay an emotional tribute to her ‘special’ friend. On Tuesday’s episode of the popular morning programme, 64 year old Lorraine was back on our screens, but was visibly moved just minutes into the broadcast.
After outlining what viewers could expect from the day’s show, Lorraine made a heart-wrenching announcement, stating: “First, though, we are remembering someone very special, a campaigner and a big friend of this show, Kris Hallenga, who died earlier this year.”
“She was only 38 but she was diagnosed with incurable stage four breast cancer when she was just 23 years old, her life is the subject of a new documentary that airs tonight. It highlights her unique philosophy on living with terminal cancer and the impact she made on all of us.”
Kris Hallenga was diagnosed with terminal secondary breast cancer at the age of 23 in 2009, after her GP had dismissed her concerns for over a year.
The star tragically passed away from the disease in May this year at the age of 38. At the time, her family shared a video montage featuring her dancing, swimming, walking on the beach and laughing with friends, reports the Mirror.
Kris had previously campaigned to raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of breast cancer, so that the disease could always be detected early.
She successfully fought for cancer education to be included in the school curriculum and authored a best-selling book, Glittering A Turd.
Her dream was that one day CoppaFeel! would no longer need to exist and late diagnosis of breast cancer might be eradicated.
The BBC is set to honour Kris Hallenga with their special programme, Living Every Second: The Kris Hallenga Story. This poignant feature charts Kris’ life since birth and captures her personal journey through diary recordings as she copes with a terminal illness.
The show promises intimate insights from Kris nearest and dearest including celebs like Fearne Cotton and Dawn French. In a snippet from the documentary, Cotton shares her admiration: “I met Kris, this gazelle of gorgeousness and sticks a CoppaFeel sticker on me. I was like, ‘Oh, my God, the famous Kris that I’ve been hearing about.’ The next thing you know, I’m doing the Bath half marathon.”
“You can’t say no to Kris. Did I want to do a bath marathon? No, no, I did not. Did I do it? Yes, yes, I did. So I had quite a harsh initiation into my friendship with Kris, but also I loved her from the minute that I met her.”
Lorraine continues at 9am on ITV and ITVX