Kate Garraway facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kate Garraway
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Garraway in 2013
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Kathryn Mary Garraway
4 May 1967 Abingdon, England
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| Alma mater | Bath College of Higher Education |
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| Years active | 1994–present |
| Television |
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| Children | 2 |
Kathryn Mary Draper-Garraway MBE (born 4 May 1967) is a well-known English broadcaster and journalist. She became famous in the 1990s working for ITV News. From 2000 to 2010, she was a co-presenter on GMTV. Today, Kate Garraway hosts Mid Mornings with Kate Garraway on Smooth Radio. She is also a newsreader and co-anchor for the popular morning show Good Morning Britain on ITV Breakfast.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Kate Garraway was born in Abingdon, Berkshire, England. Her father worked for the government, and her mother was a teacher. She went to Dunmore Primary School and Fitzharrys School in Abingdon. Later, she studied English and history at Bath College of Higher Education, which is now Bath Spa University.
Kate Garraway's Career in Television
Starting Out in TV News
In 1989, Kate Garraway began her career at ITV News Central. She worked as a production journalist, reporter, and news presenter. By 1996, she became a co-presenter for ITV News Meridian in the South East. A boss noticed her talent while she was presenting a short news bulletin. In 1998, she moved to Sky News to co-present Sunrise.
Morning TV Shows
Kate joined GMTV in September 2000. She started by co-presenting GMTV Today on Fridays. Over time, she shared presenting duties with other hosts like Fiona Phillips and Emma Crosby. When GMTV changed in 2009, she co-hosted with Ben Shephard. She left GMTV on August 31, 2010.
After GMTV, Kate became the entertainment editor for Daybreak, which replaced GMTV. She also filled in as a main presenter. In 2014, Daybreak was replaced by Good Morning Britain. Kate joined the new show and has been a main presenter there since. She also occasionally presented The National Lottery Draws on BBC One from 2014 to 2016.
Reality TV and Other Appearances
In November 2019, Kate Garraway took part in the nineteenth series of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!. She finished in fourth place. In 2025, she appeared on The Masked Singer as "Spag Bol."
Strictly Come Dancing Journey
Kate Garraway was a contestant on the fifth series of Strictly Come Dancing in 2007. Her professional dance partner was Anton du Beke. Even though she often received low scores from the judges, the public kept voting for her. She was eliminated in week seven, finishing 8th out of 14 couples.
| Week | Dance/Song | Judges' scores | Total | Result | |||
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| Horwood | Phillips | Goodman | Tonioli | ||||
| 2 | Quickstep / "Love Machine" | 2 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 15 | Safe |
| 3 | Tango / "They" | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 19 | Safe |
| 4 | Samba / "Dancing Queen" | 3 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 16 | Safe |
| 5 | Foxtrot / "I Could Write a Book" | 5 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 26 | Safe |
| 6 | Salsa / "Peanut Vendor" | 3 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 18 | Safe |
| 7 | Paso Doble / "Somebody Told Me" | 4 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 21 | Eliminated |
Kate Garraway's Radio Work
Kate Garraway's career in broadcasting started at BBC Radio Oxford. By 1994, she was training as a journalist for Independent Television News. Since March 2014, she has hosted Mid Mornings with Kate Garraway on Smooth Radio.
Books by Kate Garraway
Kate Garraway has written several books. Her first book, The Joy of Big Knickers (or learning to love the rest of your life), was released in 2017. In 2021, she published The Power of Hope. Her latest book, The Strength of Love, came out in 2023.
Charity Work and Recognition
Kate Garraway is an ambassador for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. This charity helps make wishes come true for children with critical illnesses. In 2022, she was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE). This honor was given for her services to broadcasting, journalism, and charity work.
Personal Life
Kate Garraway was married to Ian Rumsey from 1998 to 2002. In 2005, she married Derek Draper in London. Derek was a political aide. They lived in north London and had two children together.
In March 2020, Derek Draper became very ill with COVID-19. He suffered from a severe case of long COVID and had many health problems. Kate shared their journey in documentaries like Kate Garraway: Finding Derek and Kate Garraway: Caring For Derek. Derek sadly passed away in January 2024.
Kate is a fan of Gillingham F.C., a football club. She also discovered on the show DNA Journey that she is related to Michael Bond, the person who created Paddington Bear.
Awards and Achievements
Kate Garraway has won several awards for her work.
| Year | Group | Award | Work | Result |
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| 2021 | National Television Awards | Authored Documentary | Kate Garraway: Finding Derek | Won |
| 2022 | National Television Awards | Authored Documentary | Kate Garraway: Caring for Derek | Won |
| 2024 | National Television Awards | Authored Documentary | Kate Garraway: Derek's Story | Won |
Images for kids
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Kate Garraway in 2013
