Gaby Roslin, host of ITV's The Joy of Pets, has been a familiar face on British television for over 30 years, but her life away from the cameras includes both career breakthroughs and profound personal losses.
Early Life and Career Breakthrough
From a young age, Gaby knew she wanted a career in broadcasting, recalling that from the age of three, her ambition was to appear on television. Her father, Clive, a BBC Radio 4 newsreader, introduced her to broadcasting early on, and she even visited BBC Television Centre to watch Blue Peter being made.
Her television career began in children's programming with roles including Hippo on Superchannel and Motormouth on ITV. Her big breakthrough came in 1992 when she joined Channel 4's The Big Breakfast alongside Chris Evans. After Evans left in 1994, Gaby continued with Mark Little before departing in 1996.
Career Highlights and Recent Work
She subsequently fronted The Gaby Roslin Show and became a regular face across BBC programming, including Children in Need, which she hosted between 1995 and 2004, as well as The Real Holiday Show, City Hospital, Watchdog Healthcheck, Whatever You Want and A Question of TV. Her more recent credits include BBC's Morning Live and her new animal-based programme, The Joy of Pets, which airs on ITV1.
Navigating Grief and Personal Loss
Away from her successful career, Gaby has experienced profound personal heartbreak, most notably the loss of her mother, Jackie, to lung cancer in 1997. Jackie was only in her early sixties when she died. Gaby has spoken about how devastating it was to receive the initial news that her mother had around six months left to live, only for her condition to deteriorate far more rapidly.
"We were told my mum had six months to live. She died six weeks later on Valentine's Day. Nobody can prepare you for that," Gaby previously told The Mirror. The family were also dealing with another serious health battle at the same time, as Gaby's father, Clive, was undergoing treatment for bowel cancer. Tragically, he received the all-clear from doctors on the very day that his wife died.
The TV veteran has spoken openly about the grief that followed, admitting that saying goodbye to her mother and other people close to her, for example, her friend Paul O'Grady, left her feeling deeply sad. Reflecting on those she has lost, she said: "I always think about how wonderful it is that I had these great people like my friends and mum and my granny, who I was so close to."
Marriage, Family, and a Special Friendship
Gaby has been married twice and is now settled with publisher and businessman David Osmon, who she married in June 2013 following their engagement the previous year. The couple's wedding was a Jewish ceremony. Gaby and David share a daughter, Amelie, born in December 2006. Gaby is also mum to Libbi-Jack, born in 2001, from her first marriage to musician Colin Peel. Gaby and Colin married in 1995 and remained together for almost a decade before their marriage ended in divorce in 2004.
One of Gaby's most significant friendships in the entertainment industry was with the late Paul O'Grady. The pair were close friends and colleagues for many years, working together across television and radio. Gaby affectionately referred to Paul as "Savage", a nod to his famous drag persona, Lily Savage. Their friendship continued away from their professional commitments, making his sudden death in March 2023 particularly difficult for Gaby.
The Joy of Pets airs Sundays at 11.30am from August 23 on ITV1.
