Match of the Day presenters Mark Chapman and Kelly Cates are reportedly in a relationship after growing close while working together. The duo are romantically involved, with Chapman's former partner Clere Collier said to have challenged him over the situation.
Chapman denies overlap between relationships
Chapman, 52, is claimed to have denied any crossover between the relationships and maintains he was faithful to Collier. Chapman is believed to have ended things with Collier, a Dubai-based mum-of-two who works in property, in April following three years as a couple.
An insider told The Sun: "Mark split with Clere out of the blue, without much explanation. They had been making plans for the future and their relationship had been going strong."
"They stayed in touch after the split, but Clere soon realised that Mark and Kelly were close and she accused Mark of dating Kelly. Mark admitted the relationship, but insisted there was no overlap between the two women and that he hadn't cheated on her. He told her that he had been a single man when he started spending time with Kelly."
Co-presenters on Match of the Day
Chapman and Cates, 51, emerged as two of the principal presenters of Match Of The Day alongside Gabby Logan after Gary Lineker's exit from the show. The pair featured together on Celebrity Gogglebox in July, sitting side-by-side on the sofa.
Chapman had already carved out a reputation as a leading BBC football presenter through his contributions to Match Of The Day 2 and numerous other major sporting events before becoming one of three hosts on the flagship show. He was married to his wife Sara for 19 years before her death aged 44 in 2020 after fighting cancer. The pair shared three children.
Personal backgrounds
Chapman is understood to have begun a relationship with Collier in 2023, with the property professional frequently making trips to the UK from the United Arab Emirates. Cates, by contrast, is the daughter of Scotland and Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish. She was formerly married to TV producer Tom, with whom she shares two children, before their separation in 2021.
She had previously confessed to co-presenter Logan on a podcast that the prospect of dating made her anxious, saying: "I don't have a picture in my head of why a middle-aged, slightly overweight mother of two could possibly be attractive."
"I can't get my head round that. It's not that I'm putting myself down and it's not a lack of confidence or a low self-esteem. It's just I don't know what that would look like."
She added: "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. 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."
