Kate Garraway's love life has remained in the headlines throughout the year after she admitted that spending the rest of her days without finding love again would be "sad." This candid admission came three years after her late husband, Derek Draper, died due to complications with COVID-19. In May, the Good Morning Britain presenter, 59, was photographed under the arm of her new boyfriend, Liam Halligan, as he prepared to take on a gruelling 300km charity bike ride.

It was soon revealed that the pair, who have known each other for 20 years, are understood to have grown close earlier this year, with the financial journalist recently admitting: "It’s early days, we’ll see what happens." However, the ITV star is reportedly unimpressed by the widespread reaction to her new romance, with many hitting out at the prospect of Kate finding love again. According to a source: "The negative comments are so upsetting for Kate."

The insider, via The Mirror, explained: "She went through such heartbreak with Derek, and now she’s seeing someone who is really supportive and kind to her. She just wanted people to be pleased for her and she thinks she deserves some happiness at long last."

Kate received much of the backlash after she went public with Liam and posted a photo of them at a mutual friend's birthday party. As they've known each other for decades, many harshly questioned the TV star's true intentions for dating.

Addressing the criticism, the source added: "Kate tries not to read such horrible comments, but she just doesn’t get the hostility.

"She hasn’t tried to hide her relationship with Liam, and though it’s still early days, everyone close to her thinks she is due a happy ending. She’s so upset that some people can’t let her enjoy something good and positive in her life."

Kate confirmed the romance earlier this year at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. She told reporters: "It’s lovely. We basically haven’t really had time for a proper date."

According to the publication, she then joked that Liam was keen to go out more often too, adding: "He says to me, ‘Now we’re in the papers, is there a chance we can actually have some dates?'"

A month later, at the TRIC Awards, the mum-of-two said: "It’s early days, but it has been a great year."

Meanwhile, Liam told Talk TV: "I’ve known Kate for years, and we’ve recently become close. We laugh a lot and really enjoy each other’s company."

He added: "In recent years for different reasons, we have both become single, against our wishes, so, in recent weeks and months, Kate and I have become good friends. This may or may not turn into something long-term, but there is a definite spark between us – and we’re both excited to see what happens."

The Daily Express have contacted Kate Garraway's reps for comment.