Priest, broadcaster and star of 'Gogglebox', Reverend Kate Bottley, has received an Honorary Fellowship at Leeds Trinity University today (Monday 15 July).

Kate received her award at a Graduation ceremony on campus today, alongside students from the University's Institute of Childhood and Education.

Kate is an alumna of the University, having studied Secondary Religious Education with QTS in 1993 and trained to be a Religious Education secondary school teacher. She worked as an RE teacher in Sheffield but after volunteering at her local church, began to explore a call to ordination. Kate began her training as a clergy member in 2006 and was ordained as a deacon in the Church of England in 2008, and as a priest in 2009.

In 2012, Kate officiated and danced in a wedding flashmob which subsequently went viral and has garnered more than nine million views on YouTube. As a result, she was approached by Channel 4 to appear on the award-winning television show Gogglebox and appeared alongside her husband Graham and dog Buster for five seasons from 2014 to 2016. This led to presenting work on BBC documentaries, Songs of Praise and BBC Radio 2's Good Morning Sunday programme which she co-presents alongside Jason Mohammed.

Kate said: "I am honoured to receive an Honorary fellowship from Trinity University. My days at Trinity and All Saints (as it was then) were some of the happiest and most rewarding. The experiences I had and the lessons I learnt, both in and out of the lecture hall, have stayed with me and proved invaluable to me. I am grateful to the university and look forward to our continued relationship and to see the university go from strength to strength. Grateful thanks also to my brilliant parents and my husband, Graham who are able to join me today. As the first woman in my family to go to university I am thankful to my Mum and Dad for providing me with opportunities they did not have."

Kate is one of six outstanding individuals in their fields receiving Honorary Fellowships from Leeds Trinity University this week. Other recipients include entrepreneur Ben Lawton, historian Professor Edward Spiers, journalist Hannah Thaxter, Screen Yorkshire CEO Sally Johnson and educator Simon Gallacher.

Professor Margaret A House OBE, Vice-Chancellor at Leeds Trinity University, said: "It is an absolute pleasure to welcome Kate back to the University where she studied and present her with an Honorary Fellowship today. She has achieved incredible success in the fields of the church, television and journalism, and with her infectious personality, she is an inspiration to our students.

"Over the last few years Kate has given up her time to speak with students about her illustrious career, deliver a talk during Journalism and Media Week and I am delighted to be able to honour her as an Honorary Fellow today."

Kate received her Honorary Fellowship from Deborah McAndrew, Chancellor of Leeds Trinity University.