The last couple of years have been anything but easy for Kate Garraway. Since the tragic death of her husband Derek Draper in January 2024, she’s been frank about her journey through grief and the uphill task of rebuilding a sense of normalcy for herself and their children, Darcey and Billie. Recently, talk among friends and media circles picked up after Kate was seen laughing, singing, and dancing the night away at The Railway Arms pub, where Halligan’s band, The Hooligans, played a lively set during the weekend of 11-12 April 2026. For many, it’s the first sign that she’s allowing moments of light-hearted joy back into her life.
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Finding new connections after loss
After Derek Draper’s long illness following a severe Covid infection in March 2020, Garraway dedicated herself to caring for him at their specially adapted North London home. Derek's passing was a crushing blow, covered widely by British media, but Kate has since been paving a new path — even taking part in the latest BBCCelebrity Traitors, which she called “transformative.” As she shared on Jamie Laing’s podcast, Good Company in December 2025:
“I wouldn't like to think that I'd never had romantic love in my life again. I think that would be rather a sad way to go through life, wouldn't it? But, no, I'm not there yet. I don't know if anybody would want me.”
It’s a candid take, showing both her realism and vulnerability.
Liam Halligan: old friend, new beginnings?
Keen-eyed locals of Saffron Walden took note of the clear ease and camaraderie between Garraway and Halligan during the recent pub night. According to reports cited by the Daily Mail, she’s even been introduced to his friends and neighbours, with sources hinting at a “very close” connection. Halligan, a well-known journalist and former economics and business editor at GB News, lives in the area and is currently a columnist for The Sunday Telegraph. The two broadcasters have known each other for nearly 20 years, sharing history as friends long before these springtime pub outings. Halligan is separated from journalist Lucy Ward; the couple have a son and two daughters, Maeve and Ailis.
Family ties and facing the future
While neither Kate nor Liam have commented on the precise nature of their relationship, it’s no secret that both have weathered their share of personal storms. Garraway continues to live with Darcey, now 20, and Billie, 16. Halligan, separated from Lucy Ward, is father to a son and two daughters, Maeve and Ailis. Interestingly, Halligan knew Derek Draper in his lifetime, further deepening the sense of shared history between the two families. Friends reportedly noticed how “very close” Kate and Liam seemed during their recent get-togethers. Whether this is a simple friendship finding new strength or the start of something more, it’s clear that Kate isn’t ruling out future romance. As she quipped to Jamie Laing about modern dating:
“I'm of the old school where you lived life, did things you loved and then met people along the way. But maybe that doesn't happen any more.”
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Kate Garraway grows close to broadcaster friend two years after husband's tragic death
