After announcing her shock split from husband Patrick Kielty, This Morning presenter Cat Deeley has been able to spend some time away from the spotlight by taking a summer break from the daytime show. But sources tell heat that she’s already thinking about returning to screens in September – and she’s worried about having to tell all about her divorce.
'Cat is cringing at the idea of having to say something when she comes back from her break. She knows the nation will be wondering how she is, but she doesn’t want to turn her divorce into an item on the daytime show,’ our insider says. ‘She’s a pro and can handle pretty much anything, but this is different, as she feels there is an expectation to show emotion on screen. The idea of being vulnerable is scary. She likes to be in control of her image. At the same time, she does accept viewers will be curious about how she’s doing and doesn’t want it to feel like there’s an elephant in the room.'
Fans were left stunned last month when Cat, 48, and Patrick, 54 – who appeared to be one of the strongest couples in showbiz – revealed they were separating after 13 years of marriage. In a joint statement, they said, ‘We have taken the decision to end our marriage and are now separated. There is no other party involved. We will continue to be united as loving parents.’
Cat and Patrick – who hosts RTE’s The Late Late Show in Dublin – first became friends back in 2002, when they co-hosted Fame Academy together. They didn’t start dating until nearly a decade later, when he travelled from Belfast to LA to surprise her for her birthday. They got married in Rome in 2012, and have sons Milo, nine, and James, seven, together. The couple lived in LA for the first eight years of their marriage, where Cat hosted dancing competition show So You Think You Can Dance, before moving back to the UK in 2020 following safety concerns, after Patrick and their eldest son Milo were caught up in a ‘terrifying’ mall shooting.
Cat previously admitted that she’d be open to living in America again as she spoke about dealing with backlash on This Morning. She said last September, ‘If it gets too much for me, I’m going to quit. I don’t need to do it. I could stop and be a mum for most of the year, and then go and do the shows in America.’
And it seems she may be dreaming of the US as she embarks on her new single life. ‘She is missing her lifestyle in LA and certain best friends there that she would be leaning on right now. She can’t help but imagine what her life would be if she were back over there,’ our source continues. ‘The reality, though, is that the TV industry in the US is in freefall, and Hollywood isn’t producing as many shows as it once was. Cat knows she’s got a great gig and wants to hang onto it, she’s just not sure how to handle the next phase of it.’
As she prepares to return to This Morning – which she’s co-hosted with Ben Shephard since March 2024 – our source explains, ‘Some friends have suggested that she try to open up more. Many of them think this could be the perfect opportunity to capture the nation’s sympathy. Some viewers have said she doesn’t have the same warmth as, say, Josie Gibson or Alison Hammond, and Cat herself admits that she is very different from other presenters on long-running show.’
Now, we’re told Cat knows she has to face her fears head-on. Our source adds, ‘As tempting as it would be to run back to LA, she knows it would cause more drama in the aftermath of the split. In some ways, she thinks that going back to the routine of This Morning could be a good thing for everyone involved, as she and Patrick try and work through their co-parenting duties and divorce.’