Holly Willoughby's sister has a HUGE role in Gareth Gates' wedding

It's a lot of responsibility

Updated on 05 February 2019

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Holly Willoughby's sister has a HUGE role in  Gareth Gates' wedding

Holly Willoughby is everywhere these days, from presenting the likes of Dancing On Ice and This Morning on our television screens, to editing clothing collections for Marks & Spencer. Soon though, Holly’s sister Kelly will be the one stealing the limelight – as she’s officiating the wedding of former Pop Idol runner up Gareth Gates.

Kelly wishes Holly a happy birthday on Instagram

The sister to the nation’s sweetheart will oversee the ceremony at the upcoming nuptials of Gates and his fiancée, Coronation Street star Faye Brookes. Perhaps one of the showbiz world’s more random friendships, Gates has been close to the Willoughby family for years, and is said to have a particularly strong friendship with Kelly, aged 40, who acted as his personal assistant for six years. If you follow the pair on Instagram, you might already know about their friendship, as they occasionally appear in photos together on each other’s feeds.

Gareth enjoys a meal with Kelly's husband David and their daughter Lola 

Singer Gareth proposed to his long-term girlfriend in a friend’s high-rise apartment when the pair visited New York late last year, and they announced the happy news in an exclusive interview with OK Magazine, where Brookes showed off her four-carat diamond engagement ring.

Gates popped the question with a 17-minute long proposal song which he sang to his future bride while playing a grand piano which reminisced on the couple’s six years of being together.    

 

Gareth and Faye celebrate Christmas together

It was at their engagement party that they asked Kelly if she could get ordained and officiate their wedding. Kelly happily agreed and was dubbed “Reverend Willoughby” for the rest of the night, according to Gates.

The soon-to-be-wed couple met in 2012 when former musical theatre star Faye played leading lady Elle Woods in Legally Blonde: The Musical and Gareth played her boyfriend, Warner. The couple, who briefly split last September, marked their engagement with a star-studded bash at Manchester's Hotel Gotham in January.

Looking for more weddings inspiration and ideas? Check out our dedicated Wedding Planning page, which is full of guides and top tips for helping you plan your big day.  

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