Kasia Madera was born in Paddington, London, in 1974 to Polish parents. She grew up in the UK and is fluent in Polish. Her father died when she was six months old, and she was raised by her mother in London. She later studied French and politics at Queen Mary University of London before training as a journalist.

Madera joined the BBC Graduate Training Programme in 2002, where she began presenting the youth news bulletin 60 Seconds on BBC Three and entertainment news on E24. She later became a regular news presenter across BBC News platforms and covered major international events including the 2010 Polish Air Force crash and European elections.

Her career has included presenting global simulcasts across BBC One, BBC News Channel and BBC World News, including coverage following the London 2012 Olympics and the death of Nelson Mandela.

In 2025 she became an alternating presenter on BBC News at One and also worked with BBC News Polska. Madera lives in Shepherd’s Bush, West London with her husband, Simon Russell, and their two children.