'Billie loves seeing her on TV' Lorraine Kelly's daughter Rosie on motherhood, growing up in the public eye - and her debut book
Rosie Kelly Smith on how family support inspire her parenting guide
Hannah Fernando
She may be best known as the daughter of Lorraine Kelly, but as a successful working mum, Rose Kelly Smith deserves recognition in her own right. And now, with the release of her debut book, it’s her time to shine.
Having welcomed her first child, daughter Billie, in August 2024, the journalist and podcaster has written Mother to Mother, a guide on navigating motherhood through the generations. The book, which was released on February 26, is something Rosie wishes she had when she found out she was pregnant.
"There were things like What to Expect When You’re Expecting, but I wanted more early motherhood advice, something reassuring, and found lots of books unrelatable. I hope Mother to Mother will help others feel better about what is a huge life change."
Rosie’s book explores parenting through the different generations - and having the advice of her mum, Lorraine Kelly, as well as her grandmother, is something Rosie feels "very lucky" about - but notes just how different times have changed in their lifetimes.
"My granny had my mum when she was 18, and it was very difficult for her. Obviously, she was very young, but it was a different time; the internet and social media didn’t exist then.
"She always says to me that I have it so much easier now, but I say to her, 'No, because you weren’t bombarded with information from every single angle.'"
"My mum also says, 'If I had Google, I would have been googling constantly.' And it’s great that I’ve had that with Billie - if something is wrong, I can just look it up. But there’s a vast amount of information out there, and it can be quite overwhelming."
'Some days are better than others but having a village of support is amazing'
"The book is something I wish was about when I had my babies", says woman&home editor Hannah Fernando, who attended the book launch. "With nothing much on the shelves other than books, trying to create some rigorous (and often impractical) routine, it felt like a lonely place. Rosie's book is authentic, genuine, and relatable, and I'm sure it will help lots of mums feel less isolated and part of a team.
"And, the book launch was lovely, a really intimate event - despite Rosie growing up with daytime TV legend Lorraine as her mum, she was charmingly overwhelmed by the experience. During her speech, she shed a tear as she thanked everyone for their help. I couldn't help notice proud mum Lorraine was also crying as she watched on."
For all the benefits of the internet, there are also negative aspects. Asked about her social media following, Rosie admits that she expected to receive judgemental comments on her parenting, but, thankfully, it’s not always the case.
"Generally, my followers are really lovely. There’s always one comment, but I’ve got to a point where I actually don’t care. That doesn’t come immediately, but it is about trusting your gut and the advice those around you have given you."
Rosie had planned to go back to work six months after having Billie and putting her in nursery but when the time came, she didn’t feel ready.
Luckily, having moved out of London and closer to her parents, she can rely on them to help out. And mum Lorraine’s morning job is perfect for it.
"Because of the hours she does, she’s home at 11.30am. When I was recording the audiobook Mum would have Billie from then so I could work until 6pm.
"It’s a juggle and some days are better than others but having a village of support is amazing, we’re very lucky."
Despite the juggle, Rosie has still managed to tick off some of her dreams. Speaking about the podcast, What If?, she hosts alongside her mum, Rosie reveals she’s "had so many" of her dream guests already, including Sir Michael Palin.
Hosting the podcast with Lorraine is one thing, but Rosie is quite happy to leave the TV work to her famous mother.
"I very much like being in the background. I love writing, it’s something I’ve always done, so I’d love to just keep writing, do more podcasts and maybe get back into radio because I used to do that."
For Rosie, having a mum as famous as Lorraine wasn’t strange, as she didn’t know any different. For now, Billie is also a fan of seeing her grandmother on TV.
'When Billie goes to school we’ll try not to show too much of her - it’s definitely a different age now'
"When [Billie] sees her on TV, she goes crazy saying ‘Nana.’ It’s really cute."But as to whether Billie will make more appearances on the ITV morning show in the future, Rosie isn’t so sure. "At the moment we’re doing it case by case, but I think when she goes to school we’ll try not to show too much of her.
"It’s definitely a different age now compared to when I was small and did stuff with Mum, so we just want to make sure she is happy."
One place where Billie will definitely be taking centre stage is at Rosie’s wedding to fiancé Steve this summer.
Speaking of the nuptials, Rosie revealed, "It’s going to be in Scotland. Most things are done, it’s just small details to sort now. I need to sort out what Billie’s going to wear - it doesn’t matter about my dress, she will be the star of the show!"
"She’s going to be the flower girl and I was speaking to the florist and they said she can have a basket but also a wand that when you shake it petals come out. It’ll be so cute.
"Everyone is besotted with her - even my dad who is very Scottish and very grumpy - so she’ll be the star."
This feature first appeared in Woman magazine. Subscribe now and get your first 6 issues for £1.
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