GMB presenter Kate Garraway is thought to have become close to fellow broadcaster Liam Halligan, two years after her husband Derek Draper’s heartbreaking death.
10:44, 14 Apr 2026Updated 11:27, 14 Apr 2026
Kate is thought to have grown close to a fellow journalist and single dad(Image: Getty Images)
Good Morning Britain host Kate Garraway, 58, has struck up a close friendship with a male broadcaster, someone she has known for two decades, according to reports.
The TV presenter joined Mr Halligan – who was also a friend of Kate’s late husband, political lobbyist Derek Draper– in his home town of At the weekend and was reportedly seen ‘getting cosy’ with him at The Railway Arms pub – where he was performing with his band, The Hooligans.
The outing comes after Kate’s recent appearance on the BBC show Celebrity Traitors, which she called ‘transformative’ following the death of her husband in January 2024, after a cardiac arrest.
Kate and Derek married in 2005(Image: James Gourley/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
The GMB host cared for Derek at their specially-adapted home until his tragic death in 2024(Image: Getty Images)
The Daily Mail reports that one of her friends told them, “Kate has formed a close friendship with Liam and they really enjoy one another’s company.
“They met through friends. Liam makes her laugh, he is very funny and they’ve been hanging out with their close circle of mates. Kate doesn’t know if it will go anywhere. Maybe it will, maybe it won’t, but it’s complicated”
The friend added to the Mail, “It has been really tough for Kate since Derek died, and she is a mother to two children and they are all still grieving.
“But they have known one another for 20 years. Liam knew Derek. They have so many friends in common. It’s lovely to see Kate smiling again.”
It’s thought Mr Halligan, a journalist and single father, introduced Kate to his pals at the pub, where a source maintained, “Everyone was having a great time, there was a lot of singing and dancing.”
The TV favourite was also introduced to his neighbours, after which the source says, “’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’s home in recent weeks.”
The presenter told Jamie Laing she was ready for romance but ‘would anyone want her?'(Image: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock)
Kate enjoyed a fun night of music in the pub with Mr Halligan and friends
Kate’s husband Derek died In January 2024, after falling ill with Covid in March 2020, and suffering a long battle with the devastating organ damage it caused.
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.
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.
Last December, Kate confessed to Jamie Laing 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 ‘any single dads’.
She said: “I wouldn’t like to think that I’d never had romantic love in my life again. I think that would be rather a sad way to go through life, wouldn’t it? But, no, I’m not there yet. I don’t know if anybody would want me.”
She then joked: “Talk to your mates, find out if any of their dads are single. That’s your task, Jamie.”
But she also maintained that she wasn’t interested in finding love on dating apps, explaining, “I’m of the old school where you lived life, did things you loved and then met people along the way. But maybe that doesn’t happen any more.”
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