Kate Scott

Kate Scott is a British sports journalist and television presenter, best known for her work at CBS Sports and her coverage of UEFA Champions League matches. She was previously known to audiences as Kate Abdo. Over the years, she has worked with British, German and American television channels, covering major football tournaments and sports award ceremonies such as the Ballon d’Or.

In this article, we’ll look at Kate Scott’s childhood and education, her parents, her career and her relationship with the American boxer Malik Scott.

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Biography

Kate Scott, née Kate Giles, was born on 8 September 1981 in Manchester. The future TV presenter spent her childhood in the southern part of the city.

As a teenager, she took part in athletics. In an interview, Kate said that in the 1990s, the infrastructure for women’s football was inadequate, and she saw virtually no women on television with whom she could identify.

Education

She attended Christ the King School in Manchester and Withington Girls’ School. Even whilst at school, Kate developed a passion for foreign languages.

At the age of 17, she travelled to Spain on a language exchange programme, intending to spend a year there. She lived with a host family in Málaga, and then decided to stay in the country; she completed her secondary education early and enrolled at the University of Málaga, where she studied translation and interpreting. She later also graduated from the University of Salford in Great Britain, having studied European languages.

During her studies, Kate lived not only in Spain, but also in France and Germany. In Munich, the aspiring journalist worked at the Coffee Fellows café, and in Paris she took a job at a Zara shop. This gave her the opportunity to practise German and French constantly in everyday life.

Initially, Kate had planned to become a translator. A turning point came when one of her lecturers recommended that she undertake an internship at the German international broadcaster Deutsche Welle. This is how the future TV presenter first found herself in the television industry.

Parents

Kate’s father is Tom Giles. He is a Manchester United fan. It was her father who sparked Kate’s interest in football. In 2022, Tom appeared on a sports programme featuring his daughter: he was unexpectedly invited as a special guest, and the interview was conducted by former goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel. Shortly afterwards, he passed away.

The TV presenter’s mother supports Liverpool. Kate grew up surrounded by football discussions, as her parents supported different clubs. According to the journalist, both her parents worked as PE teachers and encouraged her to take part in sport.

Kate’s ethnic background is quite interesting: on her mother’s side, she has Guyanese roots – her grandmother was originally from Guyana.

Personal life

Before becoming known as Scott, the TV presenter went by the surname Abdo. In 2010, she married the German-Iranian entrepreneur Ramtin Abdolmajid, also known as Ramtin Abdo. Their marriage lasted until 2016 and ended in divorce, although in reality the couple had separated earlier.

Marriage to Malik Scott

The TV presenter’s partner is Malik Scott – a former professional boxer from the USA who turned to coaching after retiring from the sport. He is known for his collaboration with the American boxer Deontay Wilder, a former world heavyweight champion.

Kate met Malik during a boxing event featuring Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury in 2021. She later invited him onto her boxing podcast. They continued to chat on Instagram, and Malik subsequently began training the journalist. Gradually, their professional relationship developed into a romantic one.

In March 2024, the couple posted photos of themselves together on Instagram, confirming their relationship. The wedding took place in September 2024 in Malibu. The ceremony was held on a helipad next to a mansion overlooking the ocean. The only guests were Malik’s children from previous relationships. After the ceremony, the couple went to a rented house, changed into pyjamas, danced and had dinner at a table prepared for them by a private chef.

Career

Kate Scott’s professional career began in 2005 in Germany. After completing her studies, she undertook an internship at Deutsche Welle. She was initially assigned to the finance department, where she translated German texts on shares and securities, before moving to the sports department, where she covered Bundesliga matches.

At the time, she kept saying:

I think I’d be better suited on the football show. I can talk football. I understand that language, whereas the language of finance just was not me.

Soon, a vacancy for a sports presenter arose at the channel. Kate was offered the chance to try her hand at this role. Initially, she had no intention of working in television, but despite this, she agreed to take part in the selection process and was offered the post. Thus, a job that was meant to be a temporary step on the path to a career as a translator turned into her main profession.

In 2009, she moved to CNN, where she presented the programme World Sport. In 2011, she returned to Germany and joined the team at Sky Sport News HD. The journalist thus became one of the faces of the new channel, presenting sports news in German.

The next stage in her career was working in Great Britain for Sky Sports. Kate covered European football, presented programmes on player transfers and worked on boxing broadcasts. In 2015, she also took part in the coverage of the FIFA Women’s World Cup for Fox Sports. Later, the channel offered her a permanent position in the USA.

During her time in the US, Kate worked on football and boxing broadcasts. She presented programmes on the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Europa League, the FIFA World Cup, the FA Cup and the Bundesliga. In addition, she worked on the Premier Boxing Champions project and presented the boxing show Inside PBC Boxing.

In 2014, Kate hosted the FIFA Ballon d’Or ceremony for the first time. She became the first woman to present the event solo. In 2015, she returned to the ceremony as a co-presenter. Later, the Laureus World Sports Awards were added to her list of professional achievements.

In 2020, Kate joined CBS Sports, becoming the presenter of UEFA Champions League Today, a programme dedicated to European club football. She works alongside former footballers Thierry Henry, Jamie Carragher and Micah Richards in the studio. The programme owes its popularity not only to its football analysis but also to the relaxed banter amongst the panellists. Kate leads discussions, asks questions of the experts and conducts interviews with players and managers. Her command of English, Spanish, German and French helps her work with international guests. She rarely uses a teleprompter whilst on air.

In June 2023, CBS Sports announced the extension of its exclusive contract with the journalist for a further four years.

Following her marriage to Malik Scott in 2024, the journalist began using her husband’s surname and continued her career under the name Kate Scott.

In 2025 and 2026, she once again hosted the Ballon d’Or ceremony, co-hosting the 70th anniversary event in London with Thierry Henry. At the 2025 ceremony, the main awards went to Ousmane Dembélé and Aitana Bonmatí, whilst in 2026, Harry Kane and Alexia Putellas were crowned the winners.

FAQ