By JOHN PAUL BRESLIN FOR THE SCOTTISH DAILY MAIL

Published: 01:39 GMT, 13 February 2025 | Updated: 01:57 GMT, 13 February 2025

TV presenter Dawn O’Porter has made a tongue-in-cheek dig at a ‘boring’ speed awareness course she attended as she spoke of being a ‘reformed speeder’.

The Scots-born writer, who lives in London with her husband, Bridesmaids actor Chris O’Dowd, and their two sons, said she did the course after she drove at 24mph in a 20mph zone.

In a series of videos posted on her social media account, O’Porter gave an insight into what the course entailed and how other drivers had reacted now that she ensures she always sticks to the 20mph limit.

In a video shared to her 513,000 Instagram followers, she said: ‘So yesterday I did a speed awareness course. It’s my fault, I was speeding – 24 miles an hour – and I paid the price.

‘Three-hour course where they ask constant questions so you can’t do something else and pretend to be on the course.

‘And even though the guy made it as fun as he could, it was three hours out of my day and it was really boring, but also quite informative and quite interesting and I did learn the actual definition of a dual carriageway.’

O’Porter, 46, also said ‘I listened, I learned, I regretted,’ when discussing the experience, adding ‘you speed you pay the price’.

She added: ‘So obviously now I am a reformed speeder and haven’t actually sped since I got the notice.’

TV presenter Dawn O’Porter said she did the course after she drove at 24mph in a 20mph zone

In a series of videos posted on her social media account, O¿Porter gave an insight into what the course entailed and how other drivers had reacted now that she ensures she always sticks to the 20mph limit

In a series of videos posted on her social media account, O’Porter gave an insight into what the course entailed and how other drivers had reacted now that she ensures she always sticks to the 20mph limit

The Scots-born writer lives in London with her husband, Bridesmaids actor Chris O¿Dowd (pictured right), and their two sons

The Scots-born writer lives in London with her husband, Bridesmaids actor Chris O’Dowd (pictured right), and their two sons

However, she also said the reaction from fellow road users to her ‘reformed’ driving habits was far from positive.

She said that while she stuck to the 20mph limit other drivers had directed ‘hand gestures’ towards her and that she had been subjected to ‘really quite aggressive road rage incidents’.

She said: ‘Will all of those people just get tickets today or was it random and unlucky. Most people do not adhere to the 20 mph speed limit.

‘I now, as a reformed speeder, will deal with the level of aggression that will bring into my life.’

She added: ‘I really feel that part of the speed awareness course should be that you receive a sticker in the post to say “I did a speed awareness course” so that people understand why you are driving like this because I think around here people think there’s something wrong with me because I drive so slowly.’

O’Porter also posted a video of a line of capybaras walking in a line through a street in Brazil.

The image included a comment, stating: ‘The one at the front has done a speed awareness course’.

Born in Alexandria, Dunbartonshire, O’Porter grew up in Guernsey after her parents divorced when she was a baby.

She has presented TV documentaries on topics as wide-ranging as vintage clothes, breast cancer and the film Dirty Dancing.

In an article published last year, O’Porter reminisced about her childhood on Guernsey.

She wrote: ‘I took for granted the freedom I had: the slow speed limit that almost guaranteed my safety; the low crime rate; the fact I was never more than 10 minutes away, no matter how much I tried to escape.’

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Dawn O’Porter makes tongue-in-cheek dig at ‘boring’ speed awareness course she attended after doing 24 in 20mph zone

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