Cat Deeley, Patrick Kielty announce separation after 12 years

Cat Deeley, an English Television Presenter best known for hosting the reality competition show ‘So you think you can dance’ and her husband, Patrick Kielty who is also a presenter, comedian and actor, have parted ways after 12 years of marriage.

The 54-year-old Patrick, who is from Northern Ireland and host of the Late Late show on RTE One, confirmed this in a joint statement alongside 48-year-old Cat.

The couple 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 to our children and would therefore kindly ask for our family privacy to be respected. There will be no further comment.”

Earlier this year, Cat did not attend the funeral of Patrick’s mother, Mary. It was reported that she stayed back to support their sons, Milo (9) and James (7), as they coped with their grandmother’s passing.

A spokesperson for Cat told the Daily Mail at the time: “Cat remained at home to be there for her two young children before and after school on this very sad day.”

Cat and Patrick first met in 2002 while co-hosting Fame Academy, though their relationship didn’t turn romantic until a decade later.

Their friendship eventually deepened after Patrick made an unexpected trip from Belfast to Los Angeles just to have brunch with Cat.

Recalling how it started, Patrick told the Daily Mail: “Well, there had always been a spark between us, but either she was with someone or I was, and then she moved to LA, so opportunities for something to develop were limited. Unless someone was stupid enough to get on a plane, nothing would have happened. Cat was in LA and I was in Northern Ireland, so I texted her to wish her a happy birthday. When she said she was having a birthday lunch at the Beverly Hills Hotel, I said I’d be there. She told me to go to sleep as I was drunk.

“That was 2am. I got up at 5am, went to Belfast airport for 6am, got the 7.15am flight to Heathrow, landed at 8.30am, took off again at 9.40am and arrived in LA at 1.15pm.

“I was at the Beverly Hills Hotel by 2.15pm. When I walked in, Cat looked at me and said: ‘Oh, you’re good!’”

The pair married in a small ceremony in Rome in 2012, surrounded by close friends and family. A photo from their wedding showed them sharing a drink together.

They spent over 14 years living in California before relocating to North London in 2020. Around that time, they sold their Beverly Hills home for $4.9 million (£3.8 million), and Cat later joined This Morning as a presenter.

In March, Patrick spoke about how they had tried to balance demanding work schedules. Cat previously hosted So You Think You Can Dance in the US before returning to UK television.

Speaking about the end of 2023, he shared: “There was a moment after Christmas that was tricky.
She had to fly to Atlanta for seven weeks. There was a wee bit of a juggle there. But I think with all these things, as long as you have a routine, it doesn’t take as much fizz out of you as some people think.”

Reflecting on Cat’s current role on This Morning, he added: “Because Cat’s doing her stuff in the morning, she would normally be back just after lunchtime. And we’ve got the start of the week and the weekends together, so it’s not ‘Hi/bye’.”

Last year, Cat surprised viewers when she discussed their sleeping arrangements on This Morning during a segment about couples using separate bedrooms.

She revealed: “It’s one of those things that because of our schedule here [This Morning], from Monday to Thursday I sleep in the guest bedroom and the rest of the time I’m back. Because otherwise I get up at 5am and I want to fall asleep earlier.”

Before marrying Patrick, Cat was previously married to businessman Mark Whelan. They divorced in 2006. Patrick was also in a relationship with presenter Amanda Byram, which ended in 2003.

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