Liverpool legend's daughter Kelly Cates explains reason for quitting Sky Sports

Former Sky Sports News anchor Kelly Cates has opened up about her surprising decision to part ways with the network , even without another job in the pipeline.

Cates, a household name when it comes to soccer and Premier League coverage in the UK, made an unexpected exit from Sky back in 2006, at a time when she was at the forefront of sports presenting, both in-studio and on the field. During her decade-long hiatus from Sky, Cates didn't stray far from the world of sports; she joined BBC Radio 5Live on the 606 show as well as fronting the English Football League highlights on Channel 5.

But the pull of the broadcasting world saw her return to Sky Sports 10 years after her initial farewell, taking up the reins once more to host Saturday evening EFL match coverage. Reflecting on this bold move to leave Sky Sports News at the peak of her career, Cates delved into the reasons behind her departure during her conversation on The Overlap's "Not just Football" podcast.

• Martin Odegaard has noticed changes made by Arne Slot from Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool
• Arsenal gets major double injury boost on eve of Liverpool fixture

She reminisced: "I left Sky Sports News in 2006, after the Germany World Cup. I'd been there for eight years and I had just turned 30, or I was just turning 31. I was engaged, but not yet married. I knew I wanted to have children quite soon at that point.

"It had just been, for a long time, kind of filtering away and running in the back of my head. I came to the end of my contract and was working under my new contract and within the space of about three days, made the decision. I was driving into work one day, I walked in and I said, 'I don't want to sign this new contract, I want to go!'

"I had nothing to go to. I just walked away, but I was so sure that I had to go and make that change. I did it when I left university to go to Sky, which is different, because then you get something that's really exciting, shiny and new, dangled in front of you and you think, 'I'm going to take this jump'. But that's the scariest one I did - where I just went, 'that's it'. I just made that decision."

When asked by Christine Lampard if her head and her gut both aligned in her decision, Cates nodded and said: "It's when you wake up the next morning and you still feel good about it. That's when you know you made the right decision, when it feels like a weight off, rather than a sinking feeling."

Cates' presenting career began at Sky Sports News, when she was convinced to leave university - where she studied mathematics - and join. At the time, Sky Sports News was a brand new channel, and the broadcaster was looking for new and fresh voices to front their presenting operation.

A year after her comeback to Sky Sports, Cates transitioned from EFL coverage to the Premier League. She's best recognised for her stint presenting the broadcaster's "Friday Night Football" matchdays and Sunday coverage.

Daughter of Liverpool and Celtic legend Kenny Dalglish, Cates has formed a great rapport with pundits Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher, establishing herself as a well-liked and informed member of the Sky Sports' squad.