Kate Lister

We are so thrilled and proud to announce that Dr. Kate Lister has been nominated for the national Press Awards 2025 and is on the shortlist for Broadsheet Columnist of the Year.

Kate Lister is the country’s most exciting writer on modern life. Her background as a popular sex historian informs columns which are hilariously frank, candid and expertly researched. By sharing her personal experiences with her trademark wit, Kate gives a refreshingly raw and honest take on the reality of being a single woman today.

Always sharp and perceptive, Kate uses humour to challenge our deep-seated assumptions about living with ADHD, and about navigating the world as a 42-year-old single woman without children.

She rails against the influencers distorting our understanding of ADHD for likes, giving a sincere – and therefore challenging – account of life with the condition.

Unusually for a British newspaper columnist, Kate draws a diverse age range of readers, which is reflected in her huge popularity with both our digital subscribers and print readers.

Andy, a regular reader, writes: “I am 68. I was diagnosed with ADHD aged 63 by an NHS psychiatrist. I wholeheartedly agree with Kate that ADHD is not fun but a serious, pervasive and socially devastating condition. To add to her excellent analysis, may I say that a sizable chunk of ADHD grief comes from people who see in it many weaknesses mistaken for temporary, mild aberrations of ill-discipline and not a persistent and traumatic neurological disorder.”

Kate writes across so many subjects: her eloquent fury at the demonisation of child-free women shows that far from not having a stake in society, they are the people underpinning it.

Kate calls her work “saying the quiet bit out loud”. In her determination to address contemporary taboos, from feeling alienated in friendships to the fact she chose a career over having children, she creates a much-needed understanding of the complex choices women must make every day. Her directness is always compelling: “I can’t bond with my mum friends in the way other parents can. Truth be told, I am a bit jealous of that.” Kate’s writing is boisterous, often side-achingly funny, and truly original. Kate is the leading voice for millennial women today.