Gail Porter ‘honoured’ to lead Tartan Day Parade in New York

Presenter and actress Gail Porter will lead the New York City Tartan Day Parade.

As grand marshal, Porter will head up more than 1,500 registered marchers on Saturday April 15.

She will be accompanied by 30 young drummers from youth music initiative Scotland’s Pulse of the Place.

Porter said: “I’m so honoured to be named grand marshal of the NYC Tartan Day Parade this year.

“Being a proud Scottish woman leading such a significant event in NYC, while supporting World Fair Trade Tartan alongside the incredibly gifted young musicians of Pulse of the Place, shows the global impact of Scottish culture – that we can be an example of diversity, inclusivity, creativity, and resilience throughout the world.”

The 51-year old has openly talked about her struggles with alopecia, which she developed in 2005, losing her hair, eyelashes and eyebrows, and she has documented her mental health struggles in an autobiography released in 2008.

Previous grand marshals include Sir Billy Connolly and actors Karen Gillan and Brian Cox.

Kyle Dawson, president of the National Tartan Day New York Committee, said: “We are thrilled to welcome Gail Porter as this year’s NYC Tartan Day Parade grand marshal.

“She joins a growing line-up of Scottish women representing NYC Tartan Week, and we couldn’t imagine a better representative for Scottish culture to kick off our 25th anniversary parade.”