Kate Abdo’s rising net worth, sportsman husband, Jamie Carragher row and TV fame (original) (raw)

As the Champions League makes its much-anticipated return, Kate Abdo is all set to take centre stage once again.

The 43-year-old has been the face of CBS Sports' football coverage and has hosted the UEFA Champions League Today show since 2020, sharing the screen with football legends like Micah Richards, Thierry Henry, and Jamie Carragher. But who exactly is this Manchester-born TV star, and what does her off-screen life look like?

Here's everything you need to know about Kate Abdo as the new Champions League season kicks off, courtesy of Mirror Football... Born and raised in Manchester, Abdo is best known for her work across the pond in the USA. She attended Christ the King School and Withington Girls' School before moving to Spain at 17 to learn Spanish and complete her high school diploma, reports the Manchester Evening News.

She later returned to Manchester and earned a degree in European languages from the University of Salford, while also studying translation and interpreting at the University of Malaga. Despite making a big name for herself in sports journalism, Abdo has previously confessed that she struggled to find work opportunities as a young adult - even revealing that she couldn't keep a job at popular high-street bakery, Greggs.

While reflecting on her early career days during an on-field convo alongside Carragher, Richards and Anita Jones, she revealed her humble beginnings, stating: "Do you know who else used to work for Greggs? One and only... yes I did," and humorously added: "I wasn't dripping in Louis Vuitton quite so much back then, but yeah, that was my first job."

Rise in journalism

Kate Abdo's rise in the media industry has been remarkable indeed. It all started with a pivotal internship in Germany at the global news broadcaster Deutsche Welle in 2005. By 2006, Kate was making strides as a production assistant for Goal! The Bundesliga Magazine and continued her ascent by presenting news including sports coverage for Deutsche Welle's English and German channels till 2009.

Everything you need to know about Kate Abdo (

Image:

AFP/Getty Images)

From that point, Abdo's career saw her take on increasingly high-profile roles. Partnering up with CNN, she became a familiar face anchoring the World Sports programme, before heading to Sky Sports News in Germany where she took the lead as head anchor. Her journey then led her back to England where she joined Sky Sports, hosting boxing events on PPV, European football, and Sky Sports News. Her skills were so in demand that she was even borrowed by Fox Sports to cover the Women's World Cup in 2015.

Abdo truly embraced the American dream, relocating to the US to anchor Champions League and Europa League coverage, as well as Fox's Premier Boxing Champions series. Her career took a turn when Fox lost the Champions League rights, leading her to switch over to TNT in Turner's Atlanta headquarters.

By 2020, she became the face of CBS Sports' UEFA Champions League Today show, a position she holds to this day. Reports suggest that Abdo's successful broadcasting career has earned her an impressive net worth of about £2million.

Clash with Jamie Carragher

Abdo made headlines after a memorable on-air clash with Jamie Carragher during CBS Sports' broadcast of Arsenal vs Porto in March. The incident unfolded as Richards surprised everyone by wearing an Arsenal shirt, followed by Carragher trying it on.

He then suggested Abdo should wear it, prompting the staunch Manchester United supporter to refuse, saying: "No, I'm loyal. I'm loyal." Carragher retorted with a "To who? " only for Abdo to assert: "Manchester United, thank you very much."

Carragher overstepped the line

Carragher's subsequent quip about Malik Scott, Abdo's then-fiance, left both the studio team and viewers at home in utter disbelief. In a moment of shock, Abdo questioned: "What? Why would you even say that," while Carragher chuckled nervously.

The footage quickly spread across social media platforms, with Scott - an ex-professional pugilist - warning he'd "show up in a physical manner" if Carragher crossed the line again, but it all seemed to be forgotten shortly thereafter. The following evening, as Abdo introduced the Champions League coverage with Carragher, Henry, and Richards for the Atletico Madrid vs Borussia Dortmund game, she got her own back on Carra.

She began the broadcast by saying: "This group, we've been together now for three-and-a-half-years is it? And I grew up with a brother and doing this show I feel like I've gained three more here." She called Henry the 'golden child who can do no wrong' and then focused on Carragher, saying: "Then there is the middle child, Jamie Carragher. Chip on his shoulder, capable of saying anything for attention.

"Does he go too far sometimes? Absolutely. Does he apologise? Yes, he does - but all of us have that one annoying family member that we still love and accept." Abdo went on to describe Richards as the 'little bro - loud but loveable'.

Cherished spouse

Earlier this year, Abdo demonstrated her devotion to her husband Malik Scott by tying the knot in a grand wedding in Malibu Hills, California. To honour her 43 year old's boxing background, she had a spectacular wedding cake created that paid tribute to the sport that 'saved his life'.

Scott was full of praise for his wife's thoughtful wedding surprise during a chat with Genting Casino, revealing: "Kate did something incredibly creative, caring and compassionate, reflecting the walk of life I come from. She took an old picture of my first ABC Gym in North Philadelphia, where I was raised, the gym that essentially saved my life.

Abdo and her husband, Malik Scott (

Image:

@kateabdo/Instagram)

"She copied the ring from that gym and turned it into a cake, with me in the ring wearing the boxing trunks I had on when I fought Tony Thompson. Those trunks had a design I borrowed from Sugar Ray Leonard when he fought Tommy Hearns the second time, but I added my own colours - pink and black with stripes. She even put herself next to me in a wedding dress.

"The thoughtfulness and creativity moved me to tears because it took me back to my childhood in that ring, where I faced many challenges, learned hard lessons, and grew. That ring always meant the world to me. She made sure to incorporate that into our wedding day, placing us both in the ring on the cake her in a wedding dress, me in my boxing outfit. The contrast was beautiful, thoughtful and loving.

Scott began his boxing training at the tender age of 11, and by 17, he was already a Junior Olympic Champion. From 2000 to 2016, Scott built an impressive professional record of 38-3-1, sharing the ring with big names like Derek Chisora and Deontay Wilder.

Although he never clinched a title, he earned the respect of his peers, opponents and boxing fans worldwide for his powerful punches and warrior spirit. He later transitioned into coaching, joining forces with former rival Wilder in 2021 and has since overseen fights against Tyson Fury, Robert Helenius, Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang.

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