Her parents are Clare and Wilfred Hopkins. Her father Wilfred wrote several autobiographies under the name Billy Hopkins. His titles include Our Kid,Kate's Story, High Hopes, Going Places, Anything Goes and Whatever Next! In his books, Clare is known as Laura and Cathy was known as Lucy. Hopkins lived in Kenya until she was eleven. When she was eighteen, her parents returned from Africa and she went to study at Manchester Art College, dropping out after a year to join a rock and roll band named Driving Rock and the Rockettes, which toured local colleges and universities as the warm up band to groups such as Wizard and The Average White Band.

Hopkins worked as an occupational therapist in a mental hospital before returning to college and gaining a degree in comparative religion. She started writing books in 1986, and trained as an aromatherapist to supplement her writing.

She has had 49 books published in 30 different countries, including the Mates, Dates series, the Truth, Dare, Kiss or Promise series, the Cinnamon Girl series (published by Piccadilly Press) and the Zodiac Girls series (published by Kingfisher/Macmillan) and Holy Moley, I'm a Dead Dude for Chickenhouse. Cathy has also recently made a brand new series called Million Dollar Mates which in due course will be released to the public.

• Mates, Dates and Inflatable Bras (2001)
• Mates, Dates and Cosmic Kisses (2001)
• Mates, Dates and Portobello Princesses (US title Mates, Dates, and Designer Divas) (2001)
• Mates, Dates and Sleepover Secrets (2002)
• Mates, Dates and Sole Survivors (2002)
• Mates, Dates and Mad Mistakes (2003)
• Mates, Dates and Pulling Power (US title Mates, Dates, and Sequin Smiles) (2003)
• Mates, Dates and Tempting Trouble (2004)
• Mates, Dates and Great Escapes (2004)
• Mates, Dates and Chocolate Cheats (2005)
• Mates, Dates and Diamond Destiny (2005)
• Mates, Dates and Sizzling Summers (2007)
• Mates, Dates and Saving the Planet (2008)
• Mates, Dates and Flirting (2008)
• Mates, Dates: The Secret Story (2009)
• The Mates, Dates Guide to Life, Love and Looking Luscious (2005)

Cathy also has three 3 in 1 books out at the moment:

• Mates, Dates Utterly Fabulous (books 1 - 3) (2008)
• Mates, Dates Perfectly Divine (books 4 - 6) (2008)
• Mates, Dates Absolutely Amazing (books 7-9) (2009)

Mates, Dates Strictly Gorgeouse (books 10-12) (Releases in June 2010)