Kate Garraway

Infobox journalist


name = Kate Garraway
| caption =
birthname = Kathryn Mary Garraway [ [http://www.findmypast.com England and Wales Marriages 1984-2005] ]
birth_date = birth date and age|1967|5|4|df=yesFact|date=May 2008
birth_place = Abingdon, Oxfordshire, England
occupation = Journalist, Presenter
spouse = Ian Rumsey (1998 - 2002)
Derek Draper (2005-present)
ethnic = English
credits = "GMTV"

Kathryn Mary Garraway (born 4 May 1967) is an English journalist and currently a co-presenter on GMTV.

TV career

Kate Garraway went to Fitzharrys School in Abingdon, Oxfordshire (also the base of ITV Thames Valley). She then graduated from Bath Spa University with a BA in English and History. Her broadcasting career began with BBC Radio Oxford, and she had become an Independent Television News trainee journalist by 1994.

A year later, she moved to "Central News" as a production journalist, reporter and news presenter. It was during her time there that she was 'talent-spotted' by Meridian Broadcasting's head of news, who poached her (after seeing one of three minute bulletins) to become the main presenter of their nightly news magazine "Meridian Tonight". This offered enough visibility on a wider stage to be selected as part of the team of presenters who launched the BBC's 24-hour rolling news channel - BBC News 24, now just BBC News - in 1997, a period which would include the anchoring of such stories as the signing of the Good Friday Agreement.

In 1998, Nick Pollard, Head of Sky News, offered Kate a new presenting role; she joined their breakfast programme "Sunrise" and became its main anchor, covering stories such as the Kosovo crisis, the Paddington rail crash, the Turkish earthquakes and the Iraq bombing.

In September 2000, Garraway joined GMTV as a presenter. Where she currently presents each Friday, alongside Andrew Castle. She also presents Monday to Friday when Fiona Phillips is on holiday.

Kate appeared in the fifth series of the"BBC"'s hit celebrity ballroom competition series "Strictly Come Dancing", partnered with professional dancer Anton du Beke. During the celebrities' rehearsals before the show began, Kate became seriously injured and she and Anton had to stop training for many weeks, with the possibility of having to pull out of the competition. Luckily, Kate managed to make the first live show, but unfortunately couldn't participate in the group dance. The following week was the ladies night, which Kate managed to make, but with only three days' practice. Kate was praised for managing to perform, but was heavily criticised by the judging panel. Despite being bottom of the leaderboard, Kate was safely voted into the next week. From then on, Kate was constantly placed at the bottom of the leaderboard, but was paradoxically saved by the public thanks to her fans and Anton's fans.

The fifth week into the competition saw an unexpected surge in the quality of Kate's dancing ability - scoring 26/40 - with three couples below her. She made it through to the following week. Sadly, Kate once again was at the bottom of the leaderboard, despite fans' claims that other celebrities such as Kenny Logan were worse, but were scored higher. Kate managed to survive until week seven when, with only eight celebrities remaining, Kate was voted off. In February 2008, she launched legal action against the Sunday Mirror after it published a photograph of her embracing Strictly Come Dancing partner Anton du Beke, insinuating that they were having a sordid affair, which both Kate and Anton du Beke deny. [http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/feb/12/sundaymirror.trinitymirror Garraway to sue Sunday Mirror]

Garraway has also made numerous television appearances on shows such as:
*"Loose Women", ITV1 - Panellist (2003-2004, 2006)
*"Have I Got News For You", BBC Two - Guest
*"The Wright Stuff", Five - Guest
*"Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?", ITV 1 - Celebrity contestant
*"Too Many Cooks", ITV1 - Presenter (2004)
*"Beef Encounter", Channel 4 - Presenter
*"The People's Quiz", BBC One - Questioner (2007)
*"The F Word", Channel 4 - Guest (May 2008)
*"Top Gear", BBC Two - Guest (2008)
*"Other People's Breast Milk", Channel 4 - Presenter (September 2008)

Controversy

In August 2008, Garraway raised eyebrows when she appeared on the front of national newspapers crouched next to a calf which she pretends to breast-feed. It was to promote a documentary for Channel 4 on women who breastfeed other people's babies. [http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1048622/Kate-Garraway-faces-outcry-provocative-photoshoot-shows-breastfeeding-calf.html]

Personal life

Garraway lived in Oxfordshire before marriage, and now has a home in North London. She married ITV Central producer Ian Rumsey in her hometown of Abingdon, Oxfordshire in 1998. He was her former boss at ITV Meridian east in Kent around 1995, and was two years younger than her, but they divorced in April 2002. She said it was due to his relationship with then 24-year-old Hannah Stewart-Jones (now Hannah Shellswell), a TV reporter at his Oxford studio, which he denied.

In July 2005, she announced on GMTV that she was engaged to psychotherapist Derek Draper, whom she married on 10th September that year in the London borough of Camden, as covered in an "OK! magazine" exclusive. Draper is the former political aide to disgraced New Labour MP Peter Mandelson, and was at the centre of the scandal known as 'Lobbygate'. The couple celebrated the birth of their first child, Darcey Mary Draper, a baby girl, in the London borough of Hammersmith and Fulham [ [http://www.findmypast.com Births England and Wales 1984-2006] ] on 10 March 2006.

She was criticised by the press after she was photographed smoking while pregnant. [cite web | last = Moodie | first = Clemmie | date = 2006-02-25 | url =http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/pages/live/articles/showbiz/showbiznews.html?in_article_id=378248&in_page_id=1773 | title = Kate Puffaway | publisher = Daily Mail] [cite web | last = Cummins | first = Fiona | date = 2006-02-25 | url = http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/tm_objectid=16745534%26method=full%26siteid=66633%26headline=smoked%2dout%2d-name_page.html | title = Smoked Out | publisher = Daily Record | accessdate = 2006-06-04]

Kate Garraway flew into a rage at a council planning meeting where she was told to alter a new extension, according to a report in the the Daily Mail newspaper. [cite web | date = 2007-08-18 | url = http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/showbiz/showbiznews.html?in_article_id=488244&in_page_id=1773 | title = More woe for GMTV's Kate Garraway as parking officials crush her car | publisher = Daily Mail]

On 18 October 2007, Garraway's car was crushed because the tax disc of her VW Beetle was out of date.

Throughout the first part of 2007, many fans complained about Kate's sudden weight-loss. However, in an interview she admitted she had finally been diagnosed with an overactive thyroid, which is very common in new mothers. This meant she lost more than three stones in weight and was very hyperactive.

On 10th April 2008, Garraway earned substantial damages in the high court from Mirror Group Newspapers over unfounded allegations published in the "Daily Mirror" and "Sunday Mirror" that February that she had an affair with her "Strictly Come Dancing" colleague Anton du Beke. The Mirror group paid her costs and committed itself not to repeat the claims. [Tara Conlan [http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/apr/10/sundaymirror.mirror?gusrc=rss&feed=media "Mirror titles pay out to Garraway"] , "The Guardian", 10 April 2008.]

In an article for the Sunday newspaper The Observer, Garraway confessed she had been lying to her friends about her age, and that she had actually turned 41 on 4 May 2008. [Kate Garraway [http://lifeandhealth.guardian.co.uk/women/story/0,,2277861,00.html "How I couldn't admit to being 40 - and why I'm glad I've owned up] , "The Observer", 4 May 2008.]

Kate Garraway has earned a strong male fanbase, particularly on the internet. A fan site, Garrawench.com, was estimated to have 30,000 members at the height of its popularity! According to a report in the Daily Mirror in August 2008, a banana which Kate bit into was sold for £1,650 to a male fan, with the money given away to charity. [cite web | date = 2005-09-05 | url = http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/tm_objectid=15931883&method=full&siteid=94762&headline=happy-tenth-ebay-name_page.html | title = Happy Tenth Ebay: £25bn site that has us all buying and selling | publisher = The Mirror]

Her hobbies include scuba diving, bodyboarding, playing the clarinet, and going to the cinema. She is a Gillingham F.C. football fan.

References

External links

* [http://www.gm.tv/index.cfm?articleid=446 Kate Garraway] at gm.tv
*