Kate Garraway brings her new love interest Liam Halligan to her best friend’s husband’s birthday celebrations in latest sign their romance is hotting up

Kate Garraway brought her new boyfriend, Liam Halligan, to her best friend’s husband’s birthday celebrations as she shared a sweet photo with X on Friday.

The Good Morning Britain star, 59, was all smiles as she took a selfie with her friends and the 57-year-old business journalist.

Kate showed off a chic figure in white low-cut blouse and while he wore a matching jacket, his new love matched with a stylish white shirt.

The presenter’s friend wrote: ‘Happy birthday to my lovely husband. On the eve of your birthday, we celebrate it with our closest friends. I love you.’

Kate reshared the snap, adding: ‘We love you James!’

The Daily Mail previously revealed the ITV star and Liam had been together for three months but had known each other for 20 years.

He was also a friend of Kate’s late husband Derek Draper, who tragically died of a heart attack two years ago, aged 56, due to long Covid-19.

Kate’s friend wrote: ‘Happy birthday to my lovely husband. On the eve of your birthday, we celebrate with our closest friends.’ Kate reshared the snap, adding: ‘We love you James!’

The celebrations come after Liam described the ‘definite spark’ between him and Kate as their fledgling romance continues to heat up.

The British economist said that although the new couple are from ‘different segments of the media’, they have ‘a lot in common’.

In May, they were seen giggling and hugging each other as they supported Kate as she attended the Duchenne Dash, an annual charity tour to Paris.

Liam even said he was ‘stunned’ to find himself the subject of showbiz news – using the same word Kate was mocked by Tom Daley in Celebrity Traitors last year.

He wrote in his Spectator column: ‘As a sandwich-paneled man of the business pages, I am astonished to be featured in parts of show business.’

‘No one wanted to know about my warnings about the market crash, but reporters now follow me and ask: ‘How are things going with Kate?’

She said: ‘Kate Garraway and I come from different walks of media but we have a lot in common; at least a shared sense of humor.

‘Even though it’s early days, there’s definitely a spark between us.’

Referring to his last bike ride, he joked: ‘But can he ride a tandem?’

While Kate has yet to talk about the romance, Liam admitted the pair are “good friends” after they both remained single “against our wishes” in recent years.

Kate has been single since the death of husband Derek in January 2024 following a debilitating four-year battle with Covid (pictured together in 2019)

Liam, who performs with his own band The Hooligans, has known the Good Morning Britain presenter for 20 years

Kate has been single since the death of her husband Derek in January 2024, following a harrowing four-year battle with Covid.

‘It’s still early, let’s see what happens. I’ve known him for a long time. “I knew Derek, I was a political commentator,” he said on Mark Dolan’s Talk TV program last month.

‘In recent years we have both remained single against our wishes for different reasons. So over the last weeks and months Kate and I have become good friends.’

Romance rumors first sparked when the couple met in March in Liam’s hometown of Saffron Walden in Essex.

The father-of-three looked relaxed as they enjoyed a night out at The Rail Arms pub, where Halligan performed with his band.

‘It’s all so exciting and Kate’s head is spinning. It’s nice for your friends and family to see this. “She will never stop loving Derek and is still grieving but finding a way to be happy,” a source told The Mail on Sunday.