ITV presenter Lorraine Kelly was unwittingly the alleged target of a 'bomb package' which forced a halt in live TV for two hours during a mass evacuation.
A source close to the daytime telly star say she was the intended recipient of a box which was picked up by the network’s security staff before it could reach her - sparking a evacuation from the ITV building and closure of nearby Tube stations.
It’s said the 62-year-old Scottish host was “very concerned” at the prospect of being a potential target – but details are yet to emerge surrounding the nature of the package which has since been removed by experts.
A source told The Sun: "Word quickly got around that whatever the box contained, it was addressed to Lorraine.
"Everyone at ITV loves her - so people were upset and very concerned over the whole incident. Fortunately everyone is safe, but it shakes everyone up."
The security scare came as ITV broadcast was airing a string of live shows with This Morning - hosted by Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield - pulled during an ad break and returned with pre recorded segments.
All employees were quickly ushered from the west London complex as police arrived and a full investigation was carried out on the unidentified item.
A spokesperson for ITV said: "Due to a suspected security alert, the building which ITV daytime broadcast from was safely evacuated.
“The issue has been resolved and staff have returned to the building following the all clear from the police. We apologise for the interruption to the schedule and we have now returned to normal programming.”
Meanwhile, the Met Police who led the incident noted they were alerted at 11.14am to reports of a 'suspicious item' and led the precautionary evacuation before the all clear was given at 12.49.
Instead of their planned Guess the Gadget segment, back up footage of Phil and Holly trying some tree-hugging was aired rather than the live show. As part of the emergency footage, they also aired a segment with Britain's dullest men.
The Mirror has contacted a rep for Lorraine Kelly asking for comment.
