As Eurovision reaches it’s exciting conclusion on Saturday, actress and comedian Catherine Tate will be the lucky star reading out the results of the UK’s vote at the annual song contest.
The actress and comedian, 53, will deliver the results of the country’s national jury – including the coveted “douze points” – live from the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool on Saturday.
It will be the first time a UK spokesperson has announced the scores from the same location as the contest itself.
Speaking about the honour, Catherine said: “It’s very exciting to be announcing the iconic ‘douze points’ at Eurovision. It’s just a foot in the door really as next year I hope to be the UK entrant.”
In taking up the role, Tate follows in the footsteps of AJ Odudu, Amanda Holden, Nigella Lawson, Mel Giedroyc, Richard Osman, Cheryl Baker and Katrina Leskanich from Katrina And The Waves among others.
The appearance comes ahead of her much-anticipated return to Doctor Who later this year.
The BBC show will return in November with three special episodes to coincide with the 60th anniversary – with David Tennant as the 14th Doctor and his companion Tate coming back as Donna Noble.
Yet while fans may be familiar with Catherine’s work on screen, her life away from the cameras remains more of a mystery.
Here’s everything you need to know about Catherine’s life off screen.
Early Life
Born on December 5th 1969, Catherine Jane Ford, is the daughter of Josephine, a florist. Raised in London by her mother, grandmother and godparents, Catherine was brought up in a loving but female driven home, after her father left when she was still an infant.
As a child, the star also suffered from OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) and was notably obsessed with word association. In one example given by the star, she would not be able to leave a jumper on the floor, as it may bring bad luck to her mother, whose name began with “J” too.
Thankfully with time and support, Catherine was able to overcome her difficulties and began to find more of her own identity and voice while attending St Joseph's Roman Catholic Primary School in Holborn, and Notre Dame High School, a convent school for girls in Southwark.
While at school, Catherine began to develop a passion for acting and soon decided this was the career she wanted to pursue. Leaving school without sitting her A-levels in order to follow her dream, the star tried – and failed – to be accepted at Central School of Speech and Drama three times, before finally being accepted on her fourth attempt.
As she began her early career, Catherine formally changed her name when she received her Equity card, and began to be known professionally as Catherine Tate in homage to the character of Jessica Tate, who appeared in US sitcom Soap.
Showbiz Career
While fans these days will recognise Catherine best for her work on the iconic Catherine Tate Show, or for her work in Doctor Who, the talented actress and comedienne first began her showbiz career on the theatre stage, all the way back in 1988.
From 1988 to 1990 she toured the country with the National Youth Theatre production of Blood Wedding, alongside Hollywood actor Daniel Craig and Spaced star Jessica Hynes.
Alongside a number of theatre roles over the decade that followed, Catherine also began to appear on TV in serial dramas such as The Bill and London’s Burning.
In 1996 Catherine also began to take stand-up comedy more seriously, as she embarked on a new career making people laugh with her irreverent humour and daring alter-egos.
By 1998 she was given her big break on Barking, a Channel 4 late night comedy show that also featured stars including David Walliams, Peter Kay and Mackenzie Crook.
From there her career truly began to skyrocket, with appearance on TV, stage and the UK comedy circuit at festivals such as Edinburgh Fringe also propelling her into the limelight.
It was actually at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival that she was spotted by a BBC commissioner, who encouraged her to keep developing her ideas, in particular her teenage character Lauren Cooper.
Following his advice, by 2004 The Catherine Tate show finally appeared on our screens in a move which cemented Catherine in the hearts of viewers everywhere.
Catherine’s biggest break however, had to be when she landed the role of Donna Noble alongside David Tennant in Doctor Who back in 2006.
Serving as the time travelling doctor’s new companion, Catherine’s tongue in cheek humour and comedic timing was given new room to grow, while also packing an emotional punch in more dramatic scenes too.
Now a household name, Catherine also turned her hand to Hollywood in the wake of her success, with a number of popular films including Starter for Ten alongside James McAvoy and animated hit Monster Family soon following.
She even managed to bag herself a role in the US series of The Office!
Is Catherine Married?
One thing fans are often curious about, is whether or not Catherine is married. The much loved funny woman is not currently married, but she is engaged to her longterm partner Jeff Gutheim, a screenwriter who popped the question in 2019.
The couple found love together following the end of Jeff's 19-year marriage to his former wife Tracey, with whom he shared three children. Jeff and Catherine currently live together in the US, and are happily planning for their wedding.
Does Catherine have any children?
Catherine is the proud mother of one daughter, now aged 20. She welcomed daughter Erin with her former partner stage manager Twig Clark back in January 2003.
The couple were previously in a long term relationship for 9 years between 2002 and 2011 before deciding to part ways.
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