Kate Garraway has spoken out against a cruel online hoax that used artificial intelligence to generate fake images of her with a new boyfriend, nearly a year after her husband Derek Draper died from Long Covid complications. The 58-year-old TV presenter, who recently appeared on The Celebrity Traitors, revealed that the fabricated photos began circulating online in late 2025, with fake news sites even targeting her 16-year-old son Billy.
Speaking on ITV's Good Morning Britain, Garraway said the incidents occurred on Facebook, where numerous fake accounts impersonated her. She only became aware when strangers approached her on the street, congratulating her on finding love. Even her co-star Ranvir Singh was fooled by the images. Garraway described the situation as 'quite a raw time' for herself and her children.
The situation escalated when AI-generated news sites published articles claiming that Billy was 'destroying the relationship because of his selfishness and missing his dad'. Garraway expressed concern that teachers might read such stories and believe them. She called the images 'hurtful' to her children and urged the public to rely on trusted news sources.
Garraway's comments come after X introduced new restrictions on its AI chatbot Grok to prevent it from generating sexualised images, following public outcry. Regulator Ofcom launched an investigation into Grok earlier this week and welcomed the new restrictions, which limit image editing and creation to premium users.
On the same programme, Welsh farmer and YouTuber Gareth Wyn Jones shared his experience with an AI-deepfake sextortion ordeal, describing the fake images as 'quite scary and quite realistic'. He encouraged others to speak out and praised the positive steps being taken by X and Elon Musk.
