{"id":401184,"date":"2026-04-16T07:10:31","date_gmt":"2026-04-16T07:10:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/401184\/"},"modified":"2026-04-16T07:10:31","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T07:10:31","slug":"kate-garraway-grows-close-to-broadcaster-friend-two-years-after-husbands-tragic-death","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/401184\/","title":{"rendered":"Kate Garraway grows close to broadcaster friend two years after husband&#8217;s tragic death"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>GMB presenter Kate Garraway is thought to have become close to fellow broadcaster Liam Halligan, two years after her husband Derek Draper&#8217;s heartbreaking death.<\/p>\n<p>11:42, 14 Apr 2026Updated 12:36, 14 Apr 2026<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"kate garraway in silver metallic dress\" loading=\"eager\"  src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/0_Global-Radios-Make-Some-Noise-Charity-Gala.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<p aria-label=\"Kate is thought to have grown close to a fellow journalist and single dad\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">Kate is thought to have grown close to a fellow journalist and single dad(Image: Getty Images)<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\"><a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ok.co.uk\/latest\/good-morning-britain\" rel=\"follow nofollow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_self\">Good Morning Britain<\/a> host <a aria-label=\"Kate GarrawayLink opens in a new tab.\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ok.co.uk\/latest\/kate-garraway\" rel=\"follow nofollow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_blank\">Kate Garraway<\/a>, 58, has struck up a close friendship with a male broadcaster, someone she has known for two decades, according to reports.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">The TV presenter joined Mr Halligan &#8211; who was also a friend of Kate&#8217;s late husband, <a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ok.co.uk\/tv\/inside-derek-drapers-impressive-career-31814446\" rel=\"follow nofollow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_self\">political lobbyist Derek Draper<\/a>&#8211; in his home town of Saffron Walden in Essex at the weekend and was reportedly seen &#8216;getting cosy&#8217; with him at The Railway Arms pub \u2013 where he was performing with his band, The Hooligans.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"kate garraway at essex pub with mr halligan and friends\" loading=\"lazy\"  src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/0_screenshot_2026-04-14_at_110652.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<p aria-label=\"Kate enjoyed a fun night of music in the pub with Mr Halligan and friends\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">Kate enjoyed a fun night of music in the pub with Mr Halligan and friends<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">The outing comes after Kate&#8217;s recent appearance on the <a aria-label=\"BBCLink opens in a new tab.\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ok.co.uk\/latest\/bbc\" rel=\"follow nofollow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_blank\">BBC<\/a> show Celebrity Traitors, which<a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ok.co.uk\/tv\/kate-garraway-says-eye-opening-36151656\" rel=\"follow nofollow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_self\"> she called &#8216;transformative&#8217;<\/a> following the death of her husband in January 2024, after a cardiac arrest.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">The Daily Mail reports that one of her friends told them, &#8220;Kate has formed a close friendship with Liam and they really enjoy one another&#8217;s company.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;They met through friends. Liam makes her laugh, he is very funny and they&#8217;ve been hanging out with their close circle of mates. Kate doesn&#8217;t know if it will go anywhere. Maybe it will, maybe it won&#8217;t, but it&#8217;s complicated&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">The friend added to the Mail, &#8220;It has been really tough for Kate since Derek died, and she is a mother to two children and they are all still grieving.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;But they have known one another for 20 years. Liam knew Derek. They have so many friends in common. It&#8217;s lovely to see Kate smiling again.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">It&#8217;s thought Mr Halligan, a journalist and single father, introduced Kate to his pals at the pub, where a source maintained, &#8220;Everyone was having a great time, there was a lot of singing and dancing.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"kate in yellow looking into derek drapers eyes at im a celeb hotel\" loading=\"lazy\"  src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/2_Im-a-Celebrity-Get-Me-Out-of-Here-TV-Show-Kate-Garraway-at-the-Versace-Hotel-Series-19-Aus.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<p aria-label=\"Kate and Derek married in 2005\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">Kate and Derek married in 2005(Image: James Gourley\/ITV\/REX\/Shutterstock)<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"kate garraway with derek and parents getting me\" loading=\"lazy\"  src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/0_Investitures-2023-Gareth-Bale-And-Grayson-Perry-Among-Recipients.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<p aria-label=\"The GMB host cared for Derek at their specially-adapted home until his tragic death in 2024\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">The GMB host cared for Derek at their specially-adapted home until his tragic death in 2024(Image: Getty Images)<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">The TV favourite was also introduced to his neighbours, after which the source says, &#8220;&#8216;A lot of the neighbours are talking about it after being introduced to Kate. She and Liam looked really into each other and seemed very happy. She has been spotted quite a few times at Liam&#8217;s home in recent weeks.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Kate&#8217;s husband<a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ok.co.uk\/celebrity-news\/breaking-derek-draper-dead-covid-27591237\" rel=\"follow nofollow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_self\"> Derek died In January 2024,<\/a> after falling ill with Covid in March 2020, and suffering a long battle with the devastating organ damage it caused.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Devoted Kate looked after her husband in their specially-adapted north London home, which she still shares with their children Darcey, 20, and Billie, 16.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Mr Halligan, 56, previously economics and business editor at GB News, is currently a columnist for The Sunday Telegraph. Separated from his partner, journalist Lucy Ward, the former couple have a son and two daughters, Maeve and Ailis, who play with him in his band.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Last December, Kate confessed to <a aria-label=\"Jamie LaingLink opens in a new tab.\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ok.co.uk\/latest\/jamie-laing\" rel=\"follow nofollow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_blank\">Jamie Laing<\/a> on his Good Company podcast that she felt ready for romance again after the devastating loss of Derek, who she wed in 2005, adding that she was looking for &#8216;any single dads&#8217;.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">She said: &#8220;I wouldn&#8217;t like to think that I&#8217;d never had romantic love in my life again. I think that would be rather a sad way to go through life, wouldn&#8217;t it? But, no, I&#8217;m not there yet. I don&#8217;t know if anybody would want me.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">She then joked: &#8220;Talk to your mates, find out if any of their dads are single. That&#8217;s your task, Jamie.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">But she also maintained that she wasn&#8217;t interested in finding love on dating apps, explaining, &#8220;I&#8217;m of the old school where you lived life, did things you loved and then met people along the way. But maybe that doesn&#8217;t happen any more.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>READ MORE: <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" data-tmdatatrack=\"read-more\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"37009166\" data-tmdatatrack-source=\"editorial\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ok.co.uk\/shopping\/found-absolutely-gorgeous-38-dress-37009166\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">I found an &#8216;absolutely gorgeous&#8217; \u00a338 dress that&#8217;s perfect for summer sunshine<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"GMB presenter Kate Garraway is thought to have become close to fellow broadcaster Liam Halligan, two years after&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":401185,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[93,44565,61,60,30733,34474],"class_list":{"0":"post-401184","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-entertainment","8":"tag-entertainment","9":"tag-good-morning-britain","10":"tag-ie","11":"tag-ireland","12":"tag-jamie-laing","13":"tag-kate-garraway"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/401184","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=401184"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/401184\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/401185"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=401184"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=401184"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=401184"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}