Match of the Day's Mark Chapman and Kelly Cates are reported to be dating, but we found no researched net worth figure for either of them. What the record does show: the BBC paid Chapman £335,000–£339,999 in 2025/26 and Cates £215,000–£219,999. Cates's personal company had net assets of £49,275 in March 2025. Here is what can actually be checked.
Reports linking Mark Chapman and Kelly Cates
On 5 October 2026 The Telegraph said it understood that the two presenters are dating, after The Sun broke the story. The report says they have been together "for at least a few months". The report quoted no statement from either presenter, and the BBC declined to comment. For now it is a press report, not a confirmed announcement.
Chapman was widowed in 2020. Cates separated from her husband, TV producer Tom Cates, in 2021.
They also share a job. Since Gary Lineker left, Chapman, Cates and Gabby Logan have rotated as hosts of the BBC's football highlights programme. The BBC confirmed the three-way arrangement in January 2025.
Mark Chapman and Kelly Cates at a glance
| Mark Chapman | Kelly Cates | |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Andrew Mark Chapman | Kelly Cates (née Dalglish) |
| Born | 11 October 1973, near Rochdale | September 1975, Glasgow |
| Known for | Match of the Day, MOTD2, 5 Live Sport | Match of the Day, Sky Sports; formerly 606 on 5 Live (2013–2018) |
| BBC pay 2025/26 | £335,000–£339,999 | £215,000–£219,999 |
| BBC pay 2024/25 | £325,000–£329,999 | Not on the list |
| Personal company | None active on the officer record checked | Interrupting Cow Ltd (net assets £49,275, March 2025) |
| Published net worth estimate | None found in credible outlets | ~£8m (Metro via Express, unverified) |
What the BBC pays them
The BBC's annual report lists every on-air presenter paid more than £178,000 from licence fee income, in £5,000 bands. The 2025/26 list came out on 14 July 2026, and the Liverpool Echo's breakdown gives the Match of the Day hosts as follows:
- Mark Chapman: £335,000–£339,999, joint 11th. That is up from £325,000–£329,999 the year before.
- Gabby Logan: £290,000–£294,999, joint 26th. She was not on the previous list.
- Kelly Cates: £215,000–£219,999, joint 46th. She was not listed in 2024/25.
The same list puts Gary Lineker at £325,000–£329,999, down from £1,350,000–£1,354,999 in his last full year as host. So for 2025/26, Chapman was paid slightly more by the BBC than the man the trio replaced.
Chapman's figure is not all Match of the Day money. He has presented MOTD2 since 2013 and 5 Live's Saturday sport since 2016, and the published band covers his BBC pay overall, with no separate Match of the Day figure. The list also leaves out anything paid through independent production companies or BBC Studios, plus all non-BBC work. So the bands show part of each presenter's income, not the whole of it.
Kelly Cates's company accounts
Cates set up Interrupting Cow Limited in July 2016. It is registered under "television programming and broadcasting activities". She is its only director and is listed as holding 75% or more of the shares. The accounts record called-up share capital of £1. They are filed as "total exemption full" accounts, and the director chose not to include a profit and loss statement, so the public accounts don't show turnover or what she paid herself.
| Year end | Net assets | Cash at bank |
|---|---|---|
| 30 March 2020 | £267,209 | £79,105 |
| 30 March 2021 | £59,226 | £7,789 |
| 30 March 2022 | £68,403 | £48,180 |
| 30 March 2023 | £78,262 | £13,319 |
| 30 March 2024 | £40,002 | £31,180 |
| 30 March 2025 | £49,275 | £65,230 |
The latest accounts report one person employed on average, director included. The next set, to 30 March 2026, is due by 30 December 2026. Net assets fell from £267,209 in March 2020 to £59,226 in March 2021, and the filings don't say why. The accounts also don't show which of her contracts, if any, are paid through the company.
Company accounts are not personal wealth. The company reported assets minus liabilities of £49,275 at 30 March 2025. That does not establish Cates's personal net worth, which would include any property, pensions or savings she holds outside it.
Mark Chapman's boardroom roles
The Companies House officer record we checked for Chapman shows no active personal service company of the kind many presenters use. It does show sports boards. He has been a director of the company behind The Hundred's Manchester team since September 2019. That company was called Manchester Originals Ltd until July 2026 and is now Manchester Super Giants Ltd. He has chaired the Originals' board since 2021. He was also a director of Altrincham Football Club from July 2022 to May 2024. The filings do not say whether either role is paid, and an officer record does not show everything a person owns.
So what are they worth?
The sources we checked did not establish a researched personal net worth for either presenter. Express reported that "certain estimates" put Kelly Cates at about £8m, a figure it attributes to Metro.
We are not putting our own number on either of them. The checkable facts are a combined BBC pay range of about £550,000 to £560,000 for 2025/26, before tax, plus other broadcasting work that isn't published. Cates's company reported net assets of £49,275 at 30 March 2025. Chapman's record shows board roles, not a personal company. Treat any precise net worth figure for either presenter as unverified.
For more presenters' finances checked against filed accounts, see our breakdowns of Claudia Winkleman's Little Owl company and Ross Kemp's Freshwater Films. There is also our look at what BBC Radio 1's Dean McCullough earns.
Sources: BBC on-air pay list 2025/26, as reported by the Liverpool Echo (14 July 2026); The Telegraph (5 October 2026); Companies House filings for Interrupting Cow Ltd (10289988), Manchester Super Giants Ltd (11989075) and Altrincham Association Football Club Ltd (00176333). Figures checked on 10 October 2026.
