Kelly Cates

Kelly Cates
Born
Kelly Dalglish

September 1975 (age 50)[1]
Glasgow, Scotland
OccupationBroadcaster
Spouse
Tom Cates
​
​
(m. 2007; sep. 2021)​
Children2
Parent(s)Sir Kenny Dalglish
Marina, Lady Dalglish
RelativesPaul Dalglish (brother)

Kelly Cates (née Dalglish; born September 1975)[2] is a Scottish sports broadcaster who has worked for Sky Sports,[3] BBC Sport and ESPN.

Early life

Born Kelly Dalglish in 1975, she is the eldest child of ex-footballer and manager Sir Kenny Dalglish[4] and his wife Marina. Her only brother, Paul Dalglish, was born in 1977, like Kelly in their parents' home city of Glasgow. Both of Kelly's sisters were born after their father's August 1977 transfer from Celtic to Liverpool.[5] Subsequent to that transfer, all four siblings were raised living in Southport.

Kelly was two years into a maths degree at the University of Glasgow, when she left to accept an offer at the nascent Sky Sports News in 1998.[6]

Career

Television

Cates and Mike Wedderburn were the first-ever presenters on Sky Sports News on 10 August 1998.[7] She was part of the presenter lineup for Virgin Media's new portal.[8]

Cates presented the news on The Biggest Breakfast Ever, the eight-hour Millennium special of The Big Breakfast.[9]

Cates interviewed managers and footballers as part of Setanta Sports' Premier League coverage in 2007, and was a presenter on Setanta Sports News. In the 2009–10 football season, she was part of the ESPN team for their Premier League coverage and co-presented Talk of the Terrace, alongside Mark Chapman and later Nat Coombs.[10][11]

In May 2010, she presented the sports news on GMTV in the absence of regular host Dan Lobb. Cates then worked as a reporter for ITV at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa,[12] as well as for the 2011–2012 UEFA Champions League.

In 2012, she presented the sports news on Daybreak in the absence of Gavin Ramjaun. She was part of the UK Channel 4 presenting team for the London 2012 Paralympics.[13]

In the autumn of 2012, Cates presented the six-part Scottish television series Coached Off the Couch for STV.

From the 2015–16 football season, Cates hosted Football League Tonight on Channel 5 with George Riley, presenting weekly highlights from the Football League.[14]

On 3 August 2016, Sky Sports announced that Cates had rejoined them to present their live coverage of the Football League. From August 2017, Cates switched from the EFL to become the host of Premier League matches, notably Friday Night Football (FNF) and also on Saturday mornings (later Saturday evenings as a result of rights changes), on Sky Sports.

Cates returned part time to ESPN to cover Euro 2020.

In December 2024, it was reported that she would be joining the BBC to co-host the Saturday evening highlights show Match of the Day.[15] On 15 January 2025, Cates was confirmed as one of the three co-hosts along with Gabby Logan and Mark Chapman to replace Gary Lineker.[16]

Radio

Cates was a regular presenter for national radio station Talksport and hosted the Monday evening talk show between 7:00 PM and 10:00 PM, alongside Jason Cundy.

Cates has presented Fighting Talk on BBC Radio 5 Live, standing in for Colin Murray, and then presented on the station in Summer 2009. From August 2013 until 2018, she presented the Sunday edition of 606, alongside pundit Ian Wright. She also presents the midweek sports show, 5 Live Sport; as of 2023, she predominantly hosts on Tuesdays. Cates has also presented from two FIFA World Cups for 5 Live, including the final in 2022.

Personal life

Cates married Tom Cates in December 2007 at St Margaret's, Newlands, Glasgow;[17] they separated in 2021.[18][19] The couple have two daughters.[20] Cates lives in Chiswick, west London.[21]

References

  1. ^ https://celebrity-birthdays.com
  2. ^ "Inside Kelly Cates' private life, including returning to dating, and ex-husband". Irish Mirror. 28 March 2025. Retrieved 20 December 2025.
  3. ^ "Cates returns for EFL coverage". Isleworth: Sky Sports. 3 August 2016.
  4. ^ Fahey, Cian (18 January 2025). "Kelly Cates on learning to appreciate football from her dad Kenny Dalglish". OffTheBall. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  5. ^ "Timeline: Kenny Dalglish's Liverpool love affair" liverpoolfc.com David Lynch, 13th October 2017
  6. ^ "Who is Kelly Cates, future co-host of Match of the Day?" guardian.com Alexandra Topping, 17 January 2025
  7. ^ McLaughlin, John (3 October 2023). "Sky Sports News turns 25: From the beginning - an eyewitness account". Sky Sports.
  8. ^ Grace, Liam (16 December 2024). "Who is new MOTD host Kelly Cates? Net worth, partner and famous dad revealed". Metro.
  9. ^ Wilkinson, Neill (30 December 2021). "The Biggest Breakfast Ever - Millennium Edition" – via YouTube.
  10. ^ Kahn, Ellie (16 December 2024). "Sky's Kelly Cates among Gary Lineker MOTD replacements". Broadcast.
  11. ^ Randev, Sonia (28 January 2021). "Nat Coombs Q&A". Morning Star.
  12. ^ "ITV Media". ITV Media. Archived from the original on 14 June 2010. Retrieved 19 June 2010.
  13. ^ "Kelly Cates – Meet the Team – London 2012 Paralympics – Channel 4". Channel 4 Paralympics. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  14. ^ "Football League Tonight: See Scunthorpe United on TV tonight". Scunthorpe Telegraph. Archived from the original on 31 October 2015. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  15. ^ Hall, Rachel (15 December 2024). "Kelly Cates 'to replace Gary Lineker on BBC's Match of the Day'". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
  16. ^ MacInnes, Paul (15 January 2025). "Gabby Logan, Kelly Cates and Mark Chapman to host Match of the Day". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 January 2025.
  17. ^ "Chiswick's Local Web site". www.chiswickw4.com. Retrieved 20 December 2025.
  18. ^ Macdonald, Stuart (12 March 2021). "Sky Sports host Kelly Cates 'nervous' about being single again following split from husband". Daily Record. Retrieved 13 March 2021.
  19. ^ Woodcock, Zara (12 March 2021). "Sky's Kelly Cates divorcing husband as she admits 'resentment' over dating options". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
  20. ^ "Kelly Cates reveals how landing top TV job as a football presenter has thrilled her famous dad Kenny Dalglish". Daily Record. 24 July 2015. Retrieved 18 August 2016.
  21. ^ "Home fixture for a famous name". Richmond and Twickenham Times. 6 December 2007. Retrieved 20 December 2025.
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