TV newsreader weds in Co Kerry

Television newsreader Andrea Catherwood married lawyer Gray Smith at a quiet ceremony in Ireland.

Miss Catherwood, 34, wore an eye-catching outfit with a bare midriff which gave her pierced navel its first public appearance.

The couple tied the knot at St Patrick’s Church of Ireland in Kenmare, Co Kerry.

Guests at the ceremony included ITN newsreaders and friends Katie Derham and Mark Austin.

Miss Catherwood, who recently travelled to New York to cover the anniversary of the Twin Towers horror, met Gray, 36, during a holiday in the Cayman Islands 18 months ago.

More recently she has been anchoring the main ITN news bulletins, but her foreign correspondent role has taken her to global hot spots like Afghanistan, Israel, Bosnia and Kosovo.

Belfast-born Miss Catherwood chose her outfit, a full length, champagne-coloured skirt and intricate beaded top, from London designer Ronit Zilkha.

She even managed to keep her bare midriff a secret from Gray until the actual ceremony, which took place yesterday.

She said: “I could see from the look of his face that he was flabbergasted. I don’t think he expected his bride to be showing off her tummy on her wedding day.”

Gray said: “I was absolutely speechless when I first set eyes on her.

“She looked beautiful, I could feel my eyes welling up – it was the greatest day of my life.”

The couple exchanged platinum bands and later walked the 150 yards from the church to the nearby Park Hotel for a champagne reception, escorted by an Irish piper.

They will spend their honeymoon in South Africa.

Miss Catherwood hit the headliners herself last year when she was injured in Afghanistan when a Taliban fighter blew himself up with a grenade and shrapnel flew into her knee.