Kirsty Gallacher Returns to TV This Weekend — and Reveals a Surprising Famous Family Connection
TV presenter Kirsty Gallacher is set to return to the small screen this weekend, appearing alongside chef James Martin on his ITV Saturday Morning show, where she’ll be opening up about her life, love, and latest chapter.
While fans have long known about her successful broadcasting career and famous father, golfer Bernard Gallacher, many may not realise that Kirsty also has a very famous cousin: Scottish golfer Stephen Gallacher. A former European Amateur champion and Ryder Cup team captain, Stephen adds to a long line of sporting excellence in Kirsty’s family. Her brother-in-law, of course, is comedian Russell Brand, who married her sister Laura Gallacher in 2017.
Kirsty’s television journey began in 1998 as one of the original faces of Sky Sports News. She later gained household fame through her own show, Kirsty’s Home Videos, and popular appearances alongside Ant and Dec on Saturday Night Takeaway. In the early 2000s, she also co-hosted RISE and appeared on shows like They Think It’s All Over and A Question of Sport.
In recent years, Kirsty stepped away from television and found a new home in radio. She now presents weekdays on Gold Radio, playing nostalgic classics from the 50s through the 80s — a dream role for the music-loving presenter.
Her family roots have always kept her in the public eye. Her father Bernard is a legendary Ryder Cup captain, and her sister Laura is an accomplished author and illustrator. But her personal life hasn’t always been in the spotlight by choice.
Kirsty was married to former rugby player Paul Sampson for 15 years, five of which were spent as husband and wife before their 2015 divorce. They co-parent two sons — Oscar, 17, and Jude, 14. Following the separation, Kirsty admitted the transition was difficult.
“I was horrendously lonely,” she told Aimee Fuller’s Monday Mile podcast. “I don’t really love being on my own. I like being surrounded by family and noise.”
In 2021, Kirsty revealed that she had been diagnosed with an acoustic neuroma, a non-cancerous tumour located in the inner ear canal. The health scare led her to step back from her role at GB News and focus on her recovery. While the tumour remains benign, it has impacted her hearing and caused low-level tinnitus, which continues to affect her sleep.
“The tumour hasn’t grown, so I can delay treatment for now,” she said at the time. “Eventually I may need to shrink it, but for now I’ve learned to live with it.”
The near-death experience of her father in 2014, when he collapsed from a heart attack, also deeply influenced her outlook — and even contributed to the end of her marriage.
“It changed me,” she shared. “It taught me that life is short, and you have to do what’s right for yourself and your family.”
Now, in a happier chapter, Kirsty has found love again. She’s in a relationship with former rugby player Darren Clayton, whom she met during a charity event organized by friends Gabby and Kenny Logan.
“You know when you just meet someone and you’re instantly drawn to them? That was it,” she told The Mirror. “We’ve had a really lovely year together.”
As she approaches 50, Kirsty reflects on her life in three distinct phases: her twenties before children, her thirties filled with career and family, and now — navigating her forties with new energy, a new relationship, and a slightly different path.
“Now I’m not married, my kids are older, and I’m making different decisions,” she said. “It’s a funny, liberating thing.”
This weekend, viewers will get to see Kirsty return to the screen — confident, grounded, and embracing every chapter of her journey, with a few surprises still to share.
