Katherine Ryan, the 42-year-old comedian and television personality, showcased her growing baby bump as she attended the gala night of Mamma Mia! The Party at London’s O2 on Thursday, marking the launch of a new charity partnership with Nordoff & Robbins.
Ryan arrived on the red carpet with her mother, Julie McCarthy, 65, and posed for photographers alongside a number of other celebrities. Ryan wore a flowing black maxi dress patterned with shiny red hearts, paired with black platform sandals and a gold choker; McCarthy wore a pink sequin mini dress with feather-trimmed cuffs and white open-toe heels.
Also in attendance at the star-studded event were former Love Island contestant Samira Mighty, Strictly Come Dancing professional Amy Dowden, choreographer and judge Craig Revel Horwood, singer Lemar, socialite Henry Conway and actress Alison Steadman. Organizers said the evening celebrated the theatrical production while highlighting the new collaboration between the show and Nordoff & Robbins, the UK music therapy charity.
The outing came after renewed attention to remarks Ryan made in a 2022 interview with journalist Louis Theroux. Clips of that interview were recently circulated online via Stream4U, prompting Ryan to address reactions on Instagram on Tuesday. In her post she said she was neither "proud nor shameful" about choices she made when she was younger and described the cultural landscape her generation faced. She wrote that people from what she called "the girl band generation" navigated being objectified while also participating in self-objectification and that cultural norms have since shifted rapidly.
In the 2022 interview, Ryan discussed a past sexual arrangement with a boss; she said at the time that she had performed oral sex to leave work early and later told Theroux that she had a crush on the man. Ryan has since said several colleagues had similar arrangements and that she did not regard her younger actions with shame. When Theroux asked whether she would view the situation differently now, Ryan acknowledged it was "tricky," saying the personal feelings she had at the time complicated how she judged the events.
Ryan is expecting her fourth child. She and her husband, Bobby Kootstra, are parents to son Fred, 4, and daughter Fenna, 2; Ryan is also mother to Violet, 16, from a previous relationship.
The Nordoff & Robbins partnership was a focal point of the gala evening, which combined fundraising with the launch festivities for the immersive Mamma Mia! The Party production at the O2. Attendees joined the charity and theatre communities in promoting music therapy and arts engagement as part of the event’s broader aims.