She was the first X Factor host when the ITV series hit our TV screens in 2004, but Kate Thornton's longevity did not last as she was sensationally sacked by TV mogul Simon Cowell three years later.
The 43-year-old, who was eventually replaced by audience favourite Dermot O'Leary, now spends her time doing radio presenting as well as running a cashback website targeted specifically at women.
The mother-of-one started off her career in journalism, becoming the youngest-ever editor of Smash Hits magazine at the age of 21. But it was her stint on The X Factor which propelled her into the limelight, cementing her all-star status as she comforted failed contestants backstage - giving them the perfect shoulder to cry on.
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© Photo: PAKate Thorton was the first presenter to host The X Factor
During an interview with The Telegraph this year, the bubbly presenter recalled her shock at learning her fate: "That terrible moment of seeing on News At Ten that I'd been sacked was particularly bruising, but the fear of it was worse than the reality."
She added: "It had been speculated about for a year, so when it actually happened, it was like, 'There you go. Onwards.' Simon and I were friends, and I won't pretend we are friends now, but if I saw him, I'd shake his hand and ask if he had any pictures of his son."
After hosting The X Factor, Kate stayed in television where she joined the Loose Women panel and presented a few segments for This Morning. But unfortunately in 2011, the star was dropped from Loose Women along with colleague Zoe Tyler due to a slump in ratings - the pair were later replaced by Carol Vorderman and Sally Lindsay. Following the axe, Kate revealed she enrolled herself on a three-year course in counselling in a bid to change her career.
© Photo: PAThe presenter was sensationally sacked by TV mogul Simon Cowell after three years in 2007
"I've gone back to college one day a week doing a course in counselling skills with a view to becoming a qualified therapist and I'm learning a lot about myself," she told The Sun. "It makes you take a long, hard look at yourself so it’s been quite tough at times."
"I've hit the kerb a few times in my career but I think that helps when doing a course like this," she added. "Even if nothing comes of it professionally, it's making me a better journalist, broadcaster and human being."
Now with her new retail website, called tbseen.com, Kate often takes to her social media accounts to share various videos of herself with the TBSeen girls - which include the likes of Heidi Range, Myleene Klass and Denise Van Outen.
Career aside, Kate is a doting mother to her eight-year-old son Ben. She ended her relationship with her child's father, Darren Emerson, in 2011 after a four-year engagement.
© Photo: PACareer aside, Kate is a doting mother to her eight-year-old son Ben
"Every relationship where a child is involved is born out of love," she confessed on Loose Women at the time. "There is a little boy in the middle and he has to come first. There is an overwhelming emotion of sadness but it doesn’t make me want to scream and shout. It makes me want to learn from it."
