Blimey, you can’t scroll through Twitter these days without seeing someone banging on about Kate Garraway’s love life. Everyone has their own ideas about who’s the new man in her life. Your nan probably has a view as well.
But hang on a minute. What’s actually happening here?
I’ve watched Kate on telly for years. She’s been with Good Morning Britain since 2014, and before that she was all over when it was GMTV. Proper telly veteran, she is. The woman has hosted everything from presenting the lottery to the jungle reality shows. You remember when she was on I’m A Celebrity in 2019? Came in fourth, ate kangaroo bits, the works.
The thing is, Kate isn’t just some ordinary presenter who is suddenly single. Well, her story’s a little more complex than that.
The Real Kate Behind the Headlines
You see, Kate has been married to Derek Draper since 2005. A political lobbyist turned psychotherapist, he was. They had two children together: Darcey and Billy. Normal family life, you know? School runs, holidays in Cornwall, fighting over who has to do the washing up.
Then 2020 happened. Derek caught COVID in March. Not some sniffle, but the full nasty version that put him in the hospital for more than a year. For months, Kate didn’t know if her husband would make it. When he eventually returned home, he was reliant on care 24 hours a day. The bloke who used to debate politics on telly couldn’t even feed himself.
Throughout all this madness, Kate maintained her composure and continued with her work. Had to, didn’t she? Bills don’t pay themselves. But she’d be on GMB at six in the morning, then off to the hospital. Occasionally, she would fall asleep in chairs beside Derek’s bed. Proper knackering stuff.
Derek passed away in January of last year. Kate was 56, a widow, suddenly with two teenagers to raise alone.
So What’s This Boyfriend Business Then?
Right, so that’s the backdrop. Now everyone wants to know all about Kate Garraway’s new boyfriend, like she’s some sort of dating show contestant.
The rumours really began in earnest this spring. Someone saw Kate in a café having coffee with a man called Ben Hawkins. Good-looking sort, works in the media, I think. They added two and two and got five, as was the custom of the day.
And then there’s the whole Richard Arnold business. He’s her co-host on GMB, there from almost day one. They have excellent chemistry on screen, joke around, and have a laugh. So naturally, half the internet decided they might be together.
My mate Tiffany reckons it’s obvious they’re together. “Look at how they look at each other,” she says. But Tiffany also thinks the postman fancies her because he said “morning” twice last week. Not exactly reliable witness testimony, is it?
What Kate Actually Says
So here’s the thing: Kate has been pretty upfront about this whole scenario. She has said she’s open to the idea of meeting someone down the road. But she’s also said multiple times that she’s nowhere near ready for anything serious.
It makes sense when you think about it. The woman had spent four years watching her husband slip away. And that’s not something speed dating will get you over with in a couple of sessions, will it?
I lost my dad three years ago (completely unrelated circumstances) but because people just didn’t stop asking when my mum would “get back out there.” As if there were an expiration date on grief. Like you can just pop down to Tesco and pick up a replacement husband next to the meal deals.
Kate’s mentioned feeling lonely sometimes. She does, as she’s human. But lonely doesn’t have to automatically translate to “desperately seeking boyfriend.” Sometimes it just means missing having someone to moan to about the dishwasher being broken.
The Media Circus
This whole media frenzy about Kate Garraway new boyfriend shows you how mental the press can get. She’s in one snap chatting to some bloke, and then the next they’re planning the wedding.
I’ve observed this pattern repeatedly with regard to famous women, especially the older ones. Everyone’s a matchmaker as soon as they’re single. It’s as if society can’t handle a woman simply existing without being attached to some bloke.
Kate deals with it a lot better than I would, to be honest. If someone put out pictures of me having a perfectly innocent coffee, I’d probably throw my handbag at them.
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What’s Really Happening
My guess? Kate’s probably got some male friends. Perhaps she goes for dinner now and then. Maybe she has even gone on a date or two. But this notion that there is some hardcore Kate Garraway new boyfriend situation or something? Doubt it.
She’s got bigger fish to fry. Darcey’s at university, and Billy’s doing his GCSEs. There is the house to sort, money to figure out, and her own mental health to maintain. Throwing a relationship into the mix would be insane.
Besides, and as cruel as this may sound, any bloke that gets involved with Kate at this point is going to need to know what he’s getting into.
She’s not some carefree singleton ready for weekend breaks in Paris. She’s a widow with two kids, a demanding job, and probably more emotional baggage than Heathrow Terminal 5.
The Bottom Line
Look, if Kate wants to date someone, brilliant. She deserves happiness. The woman’s been through hell and come out the other side, still managing to smile on breakfast telly every morning.
But this constant speculation about her love life is getting a bit much. She’s not some character in EastEnders whose romantic storylines drive the ratings. She’s a real person trying to rebuild her life after losing her husband.
Maybe there is a Kate Garraway new boyfriend lurking somewhere. Maybe there isn’t. Either way, it’s her business. The rest of us should probably just let her get on with it.
When she’s ready to share news about her personal life, she will. Until then, perhaps we could all find something else to gossip about. Like why do they keep changing the recipe for Wagon Wheels? Now that’s a proper scandal worth investigating.
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