Mark Chapman and Kelly Cates, co-presenters of BBC's Match of the Day, have started dating. The relationship reportedly began earlier this year, following Chapman's split from his partner of three years, Clere Collier.
Relationship details emerge
Chapman, 52, and Collier, a Dubai-based estate agent, ended their relationship in April. According to The Sun, Collier confronted Chapman with suspicions that he had become close to Cates. Chapman admitted the relationship but insisted there was no overlap and that he had not cheated.
Collier, a mother of two, had regularly travelled to the UK to visit Chapman, and the pair were seen house-hunting last year.
Background and careers
Cates, 51, is the daughter of Scotland and Liverpool legend Sir Kenny Dalglish. She separated from her husband, TV producer Tom, five years ago, having married in 2007 and had two daughters together.
In 2020, Chapman's wife, Sara, died of cancer at age 44. They had been married for 19 years and had three children.
Ahead of the 2025-26 Premier League season, the BBC confirmed Chapman and Cates, alongside Gabby Logan, would co-present Match of the Day following Gary Lineker's exit. Chapman also hosts a podcast, The Sports Agents, with Logan, and he and Cates appeared on Celebrity Gogglebox over the summer.
Cates on dating
Cates, who also works for Sky Sports, has spoken about her experience with dating after her divorce in 2021. She said, "The thought of going on a date, spending an evening with someone and at the end of it thinking, 'Well, I don't really like you', I would be so resentful of them taking up my time."
She added, "Obviously it's vice versa, too, but I'm not really bothered about it from their perspective - bearing in mind I don't get to see the people I do like very often."
Cates continued, "I've got no real kind of thoughts about long-term relationships or anything like that. Imagine going out with somebody and you sit there half way through and think, 'God, this guy is an idiot'."
