Kate Lawler has been left shaken and furious after her phone was stolen — only to discover the thief then attempted to trick her own family in a chilling bid to access her personal data.
The 45-year-old former Big Brother winner took to Instagram to warn her followers after the terrifying ordeal. In a blunt message, Kate revealed why she suddenly vanished from online life:
“My phone was stolen yesterday.
Sorry if you’ve tried to contact me.
Will be back online soon.”
But the situation quickly escalated. In a further update, Kate disclosed that the thief didn’t stop at stealing the device — they actually contacted her family in an attempt to obtain her PIN.
“Still phoneless. The thief sent texts to my family trying to get my phone pin. Lowlife,” she wrote.
The incident comes during an already deeply challenging period in Kate’s life, as she has recently spoken with painful honesty about her personal battle with perimenopause.
Last month, she admitted she had been “masking” how badly she was struggling while speaking to Dr Naomi Potter on the Is It Hot in Here? podcast. Behind the scenes, she confessed life at home had become overwhelming.
“It’s exhausting because I constantly have to pretend I’m OK,” Kate said.
“At the moment, I just feel like I’m not. I feel like I’m a nightmare to live with — I feel sorry for my husband.”
She went on to describe feeling emotionally powerless, second-guessing herself daily, and questioning her relationships.
“Does anyone like me? Do my friends?” she asked.
“I feel so lost with who I am.”
The turning point came when she watched videos of herself from a few years ago on Instagram.
“I saw how happy I was — and that really hit me,” she said.
“I just feel like I’ve changed so much and I wish I could be that person again.”
Although Dr Potter reassured her that she doesn’t have to feel this way, Kate admitted she remains reluctant to begin HRT — the standard treatment for perimenopause.
“I wish I wasn’t so scared of HRT. I wish I’d just listened to the menopause doctor,” she admitted.
Instead, she currently relies on oestrogen-based moisturisers due to anxiety around hormone therapy.
Dr Potter later wrote alongside a clip from the interview:
“So many of you will relate to Kate’s story of feeling lost in perimenopause — but the good news is, we can make things better.”
Kate first shot to fame in 2003 when she won the third series of Big Brother. Since then, she has built a hugely successful career spanning more than two decades across TV and radio.
Today, she is a familiar face on ITV’s competitions team and regularly appears on This Morning — continuing to work through personal struggles while staying in the public eye.
