Guru-Murthy was born in Liverpool, and grew up in West Bradford, Lancashire close to where her father worked as a radiologist in the local hospitals at Burnley and Blackburn.
[5] In January 1998, Guru-Murthy covered the breaking of the Clinton–Lewinsky scandal from Champaign, Illinois for 5 News.
[9] In May 2024, she was accused of violating BBC impartiality rules by characterising Nigel Farage's remarks as "customary inflammatory language".
[10] Guru-Murthy married speech-writer and journalist Philip Collins in June 2002, taking a honeymoon in India.
[3][11] Her younger brother, Krishnan Guru-Murthy, is also a journalist and broadcaster for Channel 4 News.