Katie Louise Edwards (nee Rushworth; born 9 May 1983)[1] is a garden designer, gardener and TV presenter from Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. In 2012, she successfully auditioned for a presenting role on the ITV television series, Love Your Garden as a co-presenter alongside Alan Titchmarsh, David Domoney and Frances Tophill. She has also been commissioned as a garden designer for many attractions and centres in Northern England, such as Airedale Hospital.

Katie Edwards
Born (1983-05-09) 9 May 1983 (age 41)
Bradford
NationalityEnglish
Occupation(s)Gardener
Garden designer
Known forLove Your Garden (TV series)
SpouseAndrew Edwards
Children2
Websitewww.katierushworth.com

Biography

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Rushworth was born in Leeds and received her secondary education at Agnes Stewart High School in Burmantofts,[2] before taking a part-time job in the fashion industry and then working full-time for Harvey Nichols in Leeds.[3] After having her daughter, she decided upon a career change as she was travelling around with her job and it was not conducive to raising a child.[3]

A friend asked Rushworth to help out with a bit of gardening and Rushworth found she really enjoyed it; so much so, that she enrolled on a horticultural course at Shipley College (the same college that her future co-presenter Alan Titchmarsh attended).[4] Whilst she was on the course at Shipley College, she decided to go into garden design, which meant transferring to a degree course at Craven College (delivered by Bradford University). It was whilst she was at Craven College that a friend mentioned an e-mail asking for people to audition for Love Your Garden. She was among 90 people who applied for the role and the producers settled on Rushworth after interviews and a callback process.[5]

In 2013, Rushworth was asked to turn on the lights at Bingley's Christmas festival (she was living in the town at the time)[6] and in 2016, Rushworth released a book entitled Plants, Beds and Borders; Create and Maintain your Perfect Garden.[7] In 2017, Rushworth teamed up with a garden centre in Tong to create a "people's garden"[8] and became the designer for a garden outside the children's ward at Airedale Hospital in Steeton, West Yorkshire.[9]

Personal life

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In 2008, Rushworth gave birth to a daughter at Airedale Hospital.[10] Rushworth was born and brought up in Leeds, but whilst she was studying horticulture, she lived in Bingley, West Yorkshire.[11] She now lives in Baildon and besides her own daughter, Polly, she has a step-daughter, Schyler, with her husband.[1][5]

References

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  1. ^ a b Goodwin, Julia, ed. (March 2017). "What my home means to me". House Beautiful. No. 984. London: Hearst Magazines. pp. 178–180. ISSN 0018-6422.
  2. ^ "School's out forever". Yorkshire Evening Post. 29 June 2006. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
  3. ^ a b Beardsworth, Eric (15 February 2017). "Exclusive interview with Yorkshire Rose, Katie Rushworth". Northern Life Magazine. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
  4. ^ Tickner, Julie (9 March 2013). "Bingley landscape gardener Katie happy to be back in TV presenting role". Bradford Telegraph and Argus. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
  5. ^ a b Dale, Sharon (26 March 2016). "How gardener Katie Rushworth became TV's Queen of Spades". Yorkshire Evening Post. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  6. ^ Lowson, Rob (1 December 2013). "Star car from Back to the Future at Bingley lights switch-on". Bradford Telegraph and Argus. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  7. ^ "Kyle Books - Plants, Beds and Borders". www.kylebooks.co.uk. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  8. ^ Geistdorfer, Lillie (13 April 2017). "TV gardening expert to unveil new people's garden at Bradford Garden Centre | Bradford Chamber of Commerce". bradford.wnychamber.co.uk. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  9. ^ Shand, Alistair (22 September 2017). "TV celebrity to design children's ward garden at Airedale Hospital". Keighley News. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  10. ^ Shand, Alistair (26 September 2017). "TV celebrity to design children's ward garden at Airedale Hospital". Craven Herald. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
  11. ^ "TV's Katie Rushworth to switch on Bingley lights". Bradford Telegraph and Argus. 28 September 2013. Retrieved 26 September 2017.