Beach Pigeons

Kate is known for her work as a matchmaker for LuvJus (@luvjusdates on TikTok). She has appeared in viral videos, frantically running around Soho as she finds single people to set up. Her charismatic approach and whimsical style have made her stand out as London’s matchmaker.

Off camera, Kate is just as funny as she is online, and effortlessly easy to talk to. We were chatting over iced coffee when I mentioned all the gear I’d bought for a recent shoot. “Camera lenses,” I clarified, when I noticed the shock on Kate’s face. “Oh my god, I just thought you were really, really nervous for the shoot.”

Kate talked about what her ideal day off looks like, the daily habits she can’t live without, and the ones she hopes to drop. As the channel grows, she shared what it’s like getting recognised more often in public, and the weirdest DMs she’s received along the way.

You’re a matchmaker for LuvJus, does that always feel like a job?

Kate: Ummm, yes and no. It feels sometimes more like a job than other times. If I do it too much, because I also work at the pub which is crazy social. If I’m working 30 or 35 hours a week at the pub and then going and matchmaking people. There were times where I would work from 7am till 5pm and then go to do LuvJus. I hated the fun being taken out of it. But I’m now doing part time at the pub, so recently ive been more like oh my god I get to do this. I don’t very often feel like i have to go do it, it’s more like oh my god this is so fun that is something i get to do.

What does a typical day as a matchmaker look like?

Kate: It depends, there have been some really different ones. Normally I’ll finish working at the pub in Soho, I’ll quickly put some make-up on, and then leg it to where we always meet. I’ll meet George and Izzy and whoever else is helping, we’ll bump into someone, get them to come on the show. Normally we film for like an hour. 

It’s funny cause whenever someone comes to do it they’ll have seen the show, and they think it’s way more staged or rehearsed than it is. And we’ll be doing it and I say okay who do you fancy and I’m legging it after people, and they’re like oh wait it’s real, we just do it.

“I’m legging it after people, and they’re like oh wait it’s real”

How many people do you normally approach? Do you get a lot of Nos?

Kate: For one person? We approach so many people. I keep saying I’m gonna end up on some kind of  list somewhere, I’m like a nuisance to society. There’s like a group of four or five guys, and any girls who do the show end up fancying them. Because I go up to so many people I sometimes forget. And I’ll run up to them and they’ll be like “again”?

We run up to so many people, and a lot of the time people worry they’re going to be rejected, but it’s more they’re rejecting the idea of being on TikTok and being on camera. It is incredibly invasive, and I totally get that which is why I approach with a sensitivity of like; if you don’t want to chat it’s so fine. But yeah it depends if it’s a good or bad day, some days people get a lot of phone numbers.

As the channel is growing, you’re getting recognised more. What is that experience like?

Kate: Really weird, like really really weird. I think it’s just crazy, I wouldn’t have ever expected it.

When I started doing it, George, my boss kept saying you’re going to be famous, like people will recognise you. And I was like that’s not the case, but I kind of forgot when you’re getting these likes and views and comments that they’re actually like real people. I think also in London, even though it’s huge, actually does feel smaller, and our demographic; of people in their mid to late 20s in London, and they work in Soho where we film. But yeah, it’s super weird.

There have been a couple times where people will run up and ask to take a picture with me and I have no idea how to behave. Have you watched Talladega Nights? Basically it’s this film with Will Ferrel, he’s having an interview, he’s a racing car driver and it’s his first time being on camera and he starts doing this with his hands (lifting his hands to his face). And he says “I don’t know what to do with my hands”. And it’s only happened 3 times but every time someone comes over I’m like (doing the peace sign).

Do you get a lot of people DMing you? What’s the weirdest message you’ve gotten?

Kate: Do you know what? I get a lot of messages of people being like “I’lll take care of you”. They’ve obviously seen me and thought, this poor frantic insane woman, I’ve got to look after her. So I get quite a lot of those messages. 

The weirdest one is when people message when they’ve seen me somewhere. I had one the other day from this guy, who said “you walked past me, so I quickly parked my car to see if you would walk past”. Like babe, that’s an inside thought. If you are going to be weird and do that, don’t tell someone. I’m now on edge. 

Other than that I get quite a lot of nice messages from girls. I always reply to the girls, we love the girly pops, always reply. 

A lot of the girls in the comments of the videos love your style in particular. What is your main source of inspiration?

Kate: Oh my gawd, oh shit. 

I can’t think of specific people, there’s definitely lots of people on Instagram that I follow that I’m like, wow love.

How do you pick an outfit in the morning?

Kate: Oh it’s hectic. Absolutely everything has to come on to the floor or the bed, and I have to have music to distract me from what’s happening in the forefront. It’s the same when I’m cooking, I have to have loud music on or otherwise I’ll stand in a corner and not know what to do. 

There’s been a lot of evolution, I think of style. I really like layers, love layers, love patterns. Like stripes with everything. I think doing the show has made me more experimental with what I wear. ‘Cause I’ve always loved dressing up and I think I was working at the pub so much that I would end up wearing ridiculous outfits to work, but then you get covered in stuff. But with the show I can plan, and it’s not gonna be covered in beer. 

I also like having vinted, and also Pinterest, I’m obsessed with Pinterest. I’ve got so many boards. They’re in categories, like home, nails, hair, there’s a costume one.

What is one thing you’d want everyone to know about you?

Kate: I don’t know ‘cause I might tell everyone everything anyway. I don’t know how to be coy or mysterious. 

Okay okay I’ve got one, I would just want everyone to know, before meeting me, that I’m just trying my best. 

Like guys I am actually just trying my best, so please be nice to me, give me a chance. 

What is your most controversial hot-take?

Kate: You know the guy who does the Subway takes, like this has kept me up at night, if he asked me what would I say. 

I have one. 

I think people are too clean. As in, maybe people worry too much about cleanliness. Like I don’t know if we need to be having two showers a day. I don’t think we need to be precious about dropping a bit of food on the floor. Like I’ve noticed on TikTok, the comments will be so many people attacking people “oh my god did you see the hair on the counter, they’re not wearing gloves”  like guys we are just human. 

A little bit of grub, a little bit of grime, is fine! Oh that rhymed. 

What is one part of your daily routine that you couldn’t live without?

Kate: I write in my diary everyday. I actually couldn’t live without writing in my diary.

It’s normally whenever I can in the day. Quite often it would be if I’m on public transport, if I’m on the bus or the train. It’s funny though ‘cause I’ve held myself to it where I’m like I have to write in it every day. But then sometimes, because I’m always on public transport, 9 times out of 10 the entry will be like this fucking man opposite me keeps staring at me I’m going to punch him. Or like oh my god it’s really hot in here and I’m really irritated, or things like that. 

I’ll show you my diary. I’ve mastered the art of writing so tiny, but I always get people peeping and I’m like you’re not going to be able to read it. Also sometimes the writing is like, not legible. 

“I write in my diary everyday. I actually couldn’t live without writing in my diary.”

– Kate

What is one bad habit you need to break?

Kate: Oh god, how long have you got, there’s quite a few.

Do you want an honest one? I need to get out of the habit of viewing food in a bad way. ‘Cause it’s just boring. I really want to get into the habit of seeing food as 1. Something that I need and 2. Something that’s like fun. Like oh my god it’s great I get to eat yummy food, rather than seeing it as something to feel guilty about all the time.

It makes me sad because if I hear anyone talking about food the way that I think about food I always just want to give them a hug. 

“I really like the word curious, I think also it’s a good way to be.”

– Kate

What is your favourite word or phrase?

Kate: My favourite word to write is ‘actually’. I love writing the word ‘actually’ it tickles a little part of my brain, I love it. But it has to be a biro. It can’t be too inky, like a fountain pen, awful. You should give it a go. 

Do you mean a profound one or anything? I mean the one I say all the time on the show is Stunreal or Stungina. I say Stungina all the time, I reckon whenever I say it on the show they cut it out.

I really like the word curious, I think also it’s a good way to be. 

“Me and my mum, we always say; Fuck it, YOLO, Swag. As if we’re in 2010, in an ironic cringe way.”

My mum always says nice phrases. Me and my mum, we always say; Fuck it, YOLO, Swag. As if we’re in 2010, in an ironic cringe way. We kept saying it to each other. Then my family went through some life altering things and like afterwards it took a whole different meaning. We would be like oh wait “fuck it, YOLO, swag”. And I’d be like wait yeah let’s do that. My mum had it as her lock screen for a bit, she wrote it up on a board. 

Sometimes I’d message her and I’d  be like I’m  feeling really anxious, I don’t know whether to do this… And she’d be like “fuck it, YOLO, swag”. 

What would your ideal day off look like?

Kate: Okay, okay, okay.

I would wake up, hopefully. Maybe I would have tidied my room the night before so I wake up and my room is gorg. Eat breakfast, go and meet my sister, she’s in a great mood. When you catch her in a fun mood, the stars align. She’s in a good mood, I’m in a good mood, vibes are going. We go get an ice coffee and then maybe we go to some kind of carboot, maybe Peckham carboot. It’s one of those days where everything is really cheap and really great, buy loads of stuff. Then we’d get the train down to my mum’s, go and see my mum, maybe we’d go to the beach and have fish and chips, and take a flask of tea and watch the sunset. It’s Autumn, like jumper weather, we’re wrapped up, we’ve got blankets and stuff. And then we’re like ooh there’s a storm coming we’ve got to get home, a storm’s a-brewing. We get back, as soon as we get home it’s tipping it down; thunder, lighting, there’s a breeze going through the house and then mum’s like; let’s watch Twilight. We sit and watch the whole Twilight Saga. While there’s a thunderstorm outside.