Gail Porter paid homage to her Scottish heritage by becoming the grand marshal for the 25th annual Tartan Day Parade in New York City on Saturday.
The TV personality, 52, appeared in good spirits as she wore a blue and green kilt with pleated details and a dropped hem at the back.
She wore a black top with a plunging neckline under a matching coat that she left unbuttoned.
TV presenter Gail wore a pair of knee-high black lace-up boots and shaded her eyes behind a pair of dark sunglasses.
Gail could be seen flashing a gaping smile as she waved her hands in the air, showing off the body art on her arms.
Scottish style: Gail Porter, 52, paid homage to her Scottish heritage by becoming the Grand Marshal of the 25th Annual Tartan Day Parade in New York on Saturday
Leading the way: The TV personality appeared in high spirits as she wore a blue and green kilt with pleated details and a dropped hem at the back
She shared a photo of herself on Instagram as she attended the event, captioning her post, “Fun day as Grand Marshall at Tartan Parade in NYC!”
The annual New York Tartan Parade features pipers and drummers honoring the contribution that Scots have made to the United States of America.
This year it was held on the city’s 6th Avenue and was the centerpiece of the Tartan Week calendar.
Former Tartan Day Parade Grand Marshals include actors Karen Gillan, Brian Cox and Sam Heughan, singer KT Tunstall and comedian Sir Billy Connolly.
Prior to the event, she said, “I’m going to be the grand marshal, which is a bit daunting because there’s a couple thousand people behind you.”
“When I got the phone call asking if I wanted to lead the parade, I was like, are you kidding me? No one will know who I am.
‘At least I won’t be twirling a stick. It’s hard enough for me to walk in a kilt.
It comes after it emerged Gail is set to headline a series of stand-up comedy shows dealing with her alopecia, mental health issues and homelessness.
In style: She wore a black top with a plunging neckline under a matching coat which she left unbuttoned
Fashion-forward: TV presenter Gail wore a pair of knee-high black lace-up boots and shaded her eyes behind a pair of dark sunglasses
Good mood: Gail could be seen smiling as she waved her hands in the air, showing off the body art on her arms
Fun in the Big Apple: She shared a photo of herself on Instagram as she attended the event, captioning her post: ‘Fun day as Grand Marshall at Tartan Parade in New York!’
Special occasion: Annual New York Tartan Parade features pipers and drummers honoring the contribution Scots have made to the United States of America
She will launch her stand-up career at the Edinburgh Assembly Rooms from August 2-28 as well as shows across the UK.
Her routine will chronicle how she went from being a children’s TV presenter to posing nude and having her naked image broadcast over the Houses of Parliament to being severed, diagnosed as bipolar and sleeping rough.
The former Top of the Pops and Big Breakfast host, once listed by FHM as one of the world’s sexiest women, said: “I’m delighted to be coming to Edinburgh. I’ll be doing stand-up seven nights a week.
“I don’t know if it’s a quarantine thing or whatever, but I was offered it and I thought, why not?”
“I’ll do a few little gigs around the country to test the material before then. I’ve always wanted to do it and I write a lot.
She continued, “I think when you’ve been through hard enough times and you can turn it into humor, other people can relate. “The material will speak of my life.
“I take things that happened that were pretty bad and talk about them in a way that’s pretty funny and hopefully can help people.”
Gail was married to Toploader guitarist Dan Hipgrave, with whom she has daughter Honey, 20.
Event: This year it took place on the city’s 6th Avenue and was the centerpiece of the Tartan Week calendar
Looking back: Previous Tartan Day Parade Grand Marshals include actors Karen Gillan, Brian Cox and Sam Heughan, singer KT Tunstall and comedian Sir Billy Connolly
Speaking: Ahead of the event, Gail said: ‘I’m going to be the grand marshal, which is a bit daunting because there’s a couple thousand people behind you’
Ravi: When I got the phone call asking if I would like to lead the parade, I thought to myself, are you kidding me? No one will know who I am,’ she joked (piper photo)
The couple separated in 2004 and divorced in 2006 and things started spiraling out of control after their split, with Gail left homeless.
A year after the breakup, Gail lost her hair to scalp alopecia and because she didn’t want to wear a wig for television appearances, the job dried up.
At the same time, Gail was struggling with the split and discovered her mother had cancer.
In 2007, Gail wrote about her hair loss story in an autobiography, Laid Bare: My Story of Love, Fame and Survival.
Then in 2011, she was severed and diagnosed as bipolar after then-boyfriend Johnny Davies expressed concerns for her well-being.
Sadly, in 2014, she became homeless and slept rough for a year because she couldn’t afford to pay the bills or her rent because she wasn’t working.
Gail slept on park benches at Hampstead Heath but did not ask for help as she was embarrassed.
She eventually reached out to family and friends for help and went on Celebrity Big Brother in 2015, managing to use the fee for a lump sum deposit.
Describing it as a scary time, she explained that she refused to give up and that as a Scot she was “tough as old boots”.
Ex-love: Gail was married to Toploader guitarist Dan Hipgrave (pictured in 2001), with whom she has daughter Honey, 20, but they divorced in 2006 and she went through a rough time
Speaking to The Sun, she revealed she was still worried about her finances due to the cost of living crisis.
She said: ‘Everything seems to go up and up and people are worried about whether they can pay the bills.
“I think most people spend around 80% of their salary on rent, bills and everything.
“I’m still nervous now thinking, ‘Okay, I’m fine, I’m on a level’, but because I’ve been there before and I know so many people are struggling, I think of everything. moment, everything could go very wrong.
Happier: Gail has previously opened up about her mental health, insisting she’s much better these days and is lucky to have daughter Honey (pictured together in 2019)