Born - 4th May 1967
Birthplace - Abingdon, Berkshire, England
Occupation - Presenter
Ethnicity - British
Notable Credits (IMDB) - GMTV, Strictly Come Dancing
Kathryn Mary Garraway (born 4 May 1967) is an English journalist and currently a co-presenter on GMTV. She is also the current host of the UK version of The Biggest Loser.
Biography
Garraway went to Fitzharrys School in Abingdon, Oxfordshire (also the base of ITV Thames Valley). She then graduated from Bath College of Higher Education (later known as 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, Garraway joined 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 BBC News channel - 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 Garraway a new presenting role; she joined their breakfast programme Sunrise and became one of the show's anchors, alongside Martin Stanford, covering stories such as the Kosovo crisis, the Paddington rail crash, the Turkish earthquakes and the Iraq bombing.
Garraway joined GMTV in September 2000 as a cover news presenter for Penny Smith, She later gained the role of presenter, and was promoted to lead anchor after the resignation of Fiona Phillips.
She became entertainment editor and occasional relief presenter of Daybreak, GMTV's replacement in September 2010.
GTMV Profile
Garraway 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 rehearsals for the show Garraway was injured and had to stop training for several weeks. As a consequence Garraway was unable to participate in the group dance in the first live show. The following week, ladies night, Garraway was able to dance albeit with only three days practice. Whilst Garraway was praised for managing to perform, her dancing was heavily criticised by the judges. However, despite being bottom of the leaderboard Garraway was saved by the public vote. In subsequent weeks Garraway continued to get the lowest score from the judges but then to be saved by the public vote.
In the fifth week, given her previous performances, there was a surprising improvement in Garraway's dancing as she received higher marks from the judges than three other couples. However, this proved to be a one-off and the following week Garraway was again at the bottom of the leaderboard, eventually being voted off in week seven.
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 an affair, which both Garraway and du Beke denied.
Garraway has also made numerous television appearances on shows such as:
* Loose Women, ITV1 - Panellist (2003, 2004, 2006, 2009)
* 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)
* This Morning, ITV1 - Guest Presenter (2005)
* Beef Encounter, Channel 4 - Presenter
* The People's Quiz, BBC One - Questioner (2007)
* The F Word, Channel 4 - Guest (May 2008)
* Other People's Breast Milk, Channel 4 - Presenter (September 2008)
* Shooting Stars Anniversary Special, BBC 2 - Guest (December 2008)
Garraway is still with GMTV, usually presenting alongside Ben Shephard every Monday and Tuesday, plus alternate Wednesdays. However she was on Maternity leave after giving birth to baby Darcie
She appeared as a guest on GMTV with her new baby, 3 month-old Billy, on Friday, 2 August 2009; her colleagues Andrew Castle and Emma Crosby presented the programme.
She returned as a GMTV presenter on Monday, 16 November 2009.
Kate will guest-anchor ITV's Loose Women on Wednesday 2nd December 2009.
In August 2008, Garraway appeared on the front of national newspapers crouched next to a calf which she pretended to breast-feed to promote a documentary for Channel 4 on women who breastfeed other people's babies.
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. Rumsey was her former boss at ITV Meridian east in Kent around 1995, and was two years younger than her: they divorced in April 2002. Rumsey is now Head of Output at ITV News.
In July 2005, Garraway announced on GMTV that she was engaged to Derek Draper, whom she married on 10 September of that year in Camden, London, as covered in an OK! magazine exclusive. Draper was a political aide to former 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 Hammersmith and Fulham, London, on 10 March 2006. During the pregnancy, Garraway was criticised by the press after she was photographed smoking. On 21 January 2009, Garraway revealed she was pregnant with the couple's second child. William "Billy" Garraway Draper was born on July 28, 2009.
After her first pregnancy, many fans expressed concern about Garraway's sudden weight-loss in early 2007. Garraway later explained that she had been diagnosed with an overactive thyroid, which is very common in new mothers; she lost more than 19 kilograms and was very hyperactive before the condition was diagnosed.
In an article for 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.
Her hobbies include scuba diving, bodyboarding, playing the clarinet, and going to the cinema. She is a Gillingham F.C. football fan.
According to a report in the Daily Mail, Garraway flew into a rage at a council planning meeting when she was told to 'undo' an extension to her North London home which had been built without planning permission.
On 18 October 2007, Garraway's car was crushed because the tax disc of her VW Beetle was out of date.
On 10 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 she had 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.
Credit: Wikipedia
