Kate Garraway has spoken about her new relationship for the first time. The Good Morning Britain presenter, 59, went public with her romance with British economist Liam Halligan, 57, last week, two years after her husband Derek Draper's death.
Speaking at the Chelsea Flower Show on Tuesday, Kate said her blossoming relationship with Liam has been a 'lovely' distraction from caring for her ill parents. 'It is lovely. I suppose it is! We basically haven't really had time for a proper date! I don't want to jinx it! I don't want to say anything because I will jinx it! I will jinx it. We all love an Irishman, don't we?' Kate said.
The presenter went on to say they haven't been on as many dates as she would like because she has been 'consumed' with caring for her elderly parents. She told The Mirror: 'My mum and dad have not been very well so I've been really consumed by that. It's been tricky and I've just been doing that this weekend. My dad was supposed to be with me actually [at Chelsea] but he's not well enough. I'm very lucky to have both of them and I know it's normal [part of ageing].'
Liam recently admitted the pair had become 'good friends' after both becoming 'single, against our wishes' in recent years. Kate has been single since the death of her husband Derek Draper in January 2024, following his debilitating four-year long battle with Covid. 'It's early days, we'll see what happens. I've known her for a long time. I knew Derek, I was a political commentator,' he said on Mark Dolan's Talk TV show last month. 'In recent years, for different reasons, we have both become single, against our wishes. So, in recent weeks and months, Kate and I have become good friends.'
Rumours of a romance first started when the pair were spotted together in Liam's hometown of Saffron Walden in Essex last month. They were spotted looking cosy during a night out at The Railway Arms pub, during which father-of-three Halligan performed with his band. They were then seen giggling and cuddling up together earlier this month, as Kate supported him as he took part in the Duchenne Dash, an annual charity cycle ride to Paris.
'It's all very exciting and Kate is giddy. It is just so lovely for her friends and family to see. She will never stop loving Derek and is still grieving but she is finding a way to be happy,' a source told the Mail on Sunday.
