Kelly Cates' impressive net worth, reason for first Sky Sports exit, new MOTD job
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Kelly Cates is set to become one of three new presenters on Match of the Day next season, according to reports. Gary Lineker recently announced that he will be stepping away from his hosting duties with the Saturday evening staple at the end of the 2024/25 campaign after a glorious 25-year tenure with the BBC. The 64-year-old is thought to be sticking around with the corporation, however, presenting the BBC's FA Cup coverage next season and leading the broadcast team for the 2026 World Cup in North America.
And it is thought that Cates - the daughter of Liverpool legend Sir Kenny Dalglish - will be joined by MOTD2 host Mark Chapman and long-time presenter Gabby Logan to fill the shoes of Lineker once he steps down. But what do we know about the 49-year-old who has been at the forefront of Sky Sports since 2016?.
Here, Mirror Football breaks it down... Born in Glasgow, Cates started her career with Sky Sports News and Setanta Sports before parting ways with the former in 2006 following the World Cup in Germany—a move that came as a huge surprise at the time, given her reputation for exceptional delivery in the studio and pitchside.
Speaking on The Overlap's Not Just Football podcast, Cates explained that there were personal reasons behind her exit from Sky Sports, explaining: "I left Sky Sports News in 2006, after the Germany World Cup. I'd been there for eight years and I had just turned 30, or I was just turning 31.
"I was engaged but not yet married. I knew I wanted to have children quite soon at that point. It had just been, for a long time, kind of filtering away and running in the back of my head. I came to the end of my contract and was working under my new contract and within the space of about three days, made the decision. I was driving into work one day, I walked in and I said, 'I don't want to sign this new contract, I want to go.".
