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Life in the Spotlight
We talk to TV presenter, Kate Garraway, who gives us a glimpse into
her busy life as a TV presenter, business woman and mum of two...
Kate Garraway originates from Abingdon in Oxfordshire and now lives in North London with her husband, Derek Draper, and their two children.
Having presented GMTV for 10 years, and in her current role as Entertainment Editor for ITV1’s new breakfast show Daybreak, Kate has interviewed some of the biggest names in the world of entertainment, including Tom Cruise, Johnny Depp, Justin Timberlake, Nicole Kidman and Julia Roberts.
Before GMTV, Kate joined Sky News in 1998 as a main anchor on its breakfast show, Sunrise. Prior to joining Sky, Kate worked in BBC radio and with ITV news and presented Meridian Tonight, before being picked as one of the team of presenters to launch BBC’s 24-hour rolling news channel, News 24.
In addition to her work on GMTV and Daybreak, the busy mum of two has been involved in a wide range of network programmes including BBC1’s Strictly Come Dancing. Kate is now also the founder of goodypass.com, a discount website, which provides amazing discounts from national and local businesses.
Lincolnshire Today recently caught up with Kate, who took time out of her busy schedule to give us an insight into her hectic life....
Kate, tell us about your background, how did you start working in the television industry?
Well, I grew up in Abingdon, in Oxfordshire – in the same house my parents still live in, which I find very comforting indeed! I got into the media by volunteering for my local independent radio station, then got a job with BBC Radio Oxford, and after that I trained with ITV News for television.
Which aspects of your media career do you enjoy?
The most fun part of my job is that I get to meet fascinating new people every day. Sometimes it’s A-list stars, in my capacity as the Entertainment Editor at Daybreak; but just as often, its people from all sorts of ordinary walks of life who just happen to have interesting stories to tell.
Which programmes are you appearing on at the moment?
Aside from Daybreak, I’m now a team captain on Sky One’s Wall Of Fame, which means I spend a lot of my working day with top-class professional comedians…it’s certainly a new learning experience!
What other projects are you working on?
I recently set up my own business, goodypass.com, a celebrity-based discount website, which is really exciting. The discount website offers 50-90% off local salons, restaurants, days out and amazing national deals. I’d never imagined myself as an entrepreneur, but I set it up because I’ve always thought I was very lucky to be given all sorts of perks and privileges, just because I was on the telly. So, I thought, why not use that to help people get their very own celeb-standard discounts, while giving them a place to catch up with me and some of my pals? Everyone who’s joined up seems to be really enjoying it, so it's really rewarding.
What advice would you give to any of our readers who are looking to start-up their own business?
My advice would be that you have to start with an idea that you genuinely believe in. If you don’t think you’re providing a brilliant service, nobody else will either. Nobody should set up a business just for monetary gain, because it’ll never work. Be open to advice from all of those around you, and treat each day as one you can learn from. Obvious, maybe – but I think it’s something that gets forgotten surprisingly often with new businesses.
What are your hobbies?
Two children, a new business and a couple of TV shows don’t leave much time for hobbies, but I love going to the cinema, and I’m also currently addicted to crime-thriller DVD boxed-sets, the ones where you just get sucked in and end up watching them for an entire weekend at a time. At the moment, my obsession’s The Killing, an absolutely brilliant Danish mystery series. (Although I do also adore the old-fashioned detective shows, like Poirot and Marple).
What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
One of my greatest pleasures is getting friends and family together round the table and cooking them a great big meal (though my husband might say I don’t do it quite often enough!). Sunday roasts are the most fun to do, usually lamb or beef, along with my special bread-and-butter pudding for afters. Even if everything goes wrong, I can always be certain my guests will leave with full stomachs!
How do you achieve a healthy work/life balance?
Striking a balance is tricky for everybody these days, because everyone’s working longer and harder – I think you just have to make the most out of everything, find the fun in whatever you’re doing, and wear your life lightly. I have seriously anti-social working hours, for example, starting at three in the morning, but it means I’m usually free to pick up my daughter from school and spend time with my family in the afternoon. I think I’m very lucky, all things considered!
Credit: Kate Garraway’s discount website goodypass.com offers 50-90% off local salons, restaurants, days out and amazing national deals.
ARTICLE COURTESY OF LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY MAGAZINE – September 2011 issue
