Geeta Guru-Murthy was born in 1968 in Liverpool, England, to Indian-Tamil parents. She grew up in West Bradford, Lancashire, where her father worked as a radiologist in nearby hospitals. In her youth she was involved in orchestras, theatre and choirs before eventually pursuing higher education in science.

She studied biochemistry at university but later changed direction and moved into journalism. Her broadcasting career began as a reporter on the BBC regional news programme BBC Look North (Yorkshire and North Midlands).

Guru-Murthy later joined 5 News, reporting on major stories including the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal from the United States in 1998. By the early 2000s she was presenting Asia Today and regularly appearing on BBC World, BBC News 24, and BBC Breakfast, eventually also presenting bulletins for BBC Radio 4.

Since 2013, she has mainly presented morning bulletins including BBC News at Nine, appearing across BBC News Channel, BBC Two, and BBC World News. In 2024 she returned as a chief presenter on the BBC News Channel after a restructuring of the network.

In her personal life, she is married to speechwriter and journalist Philip Collins, and the couple have one child. Her brother, Krishnan Guru-Murthy, is also a prominent television journalist and presenter.