Watkins began her career aged 12 as the co-host of the Nine Network's children's show You Asked For It. In 1989, Kim began a six-year stint at the Seven Network in Brisbane working as a news reporter and a morning show host. While at Seven, she also worked on the 1992 Olympic Games. In 1995 Watkins joined the Nine Network, working as a reporter on many shows including Good Medicine, Australia's Most Wanted, Money, and giving updates for the Wide World Of Sports telecast of the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur. Watkins also presented National Nine Morning News and was a fill-in presenter on other National Nine News bulletins. In April 2005, Watkins took the Nine Network to the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission, following a maternity leave dispute in which Watkins was reported to be "unhappy with the work she was assigned when she returned from maternity leave after giving birth to her third child." Watkins and the Nine Network reached an agreement and she left the Nine Network. In September 2005, Kim joined Seven Network as a reporter on Beyond Tomorrow. She stayed with the network until the end of the year. In January 2006, Watkins joined Network Ten to co-host a new morning show 9am with David and Kim with David Reyne. The show replaced long running Good Morning Australia. She also hosted Saving Babies and was a regular fill-presenter for Carrie Bickmore on Network Ten's panel show The Project. From 2007-09, Watkins co-hosted the Sydney New Year's Eve telecast with Andrew G. Kim is also an avid amateur motor racing driver and has driven in a number of celebrity events including the celebrity race before the 2006 Australian Grand Prix. Starting from second on the grid, behind three times Australian Superbike champion Shawn Giles, Watkins finished in third place behind winner, Giles, and AFL footballer, Alastair Lynch. Watkins said, "I am absolutely ecstatic with third...this is one for all the Mummies out there". Kim turned down the opportunity to co-host Breakfast. The position was later given to Kathryn Robinson.
