When ITV signed Cat Deeley as a replacement for Holly Willoughby, hoping she would be the saviour of This Morning, her accomplished skills as a broadcaster and gorgeous glossy gleam were, of course, seen as particularly valuable attributes.
But what also impressed the channel’s bosses about Cat was her status as a happily married mother of two.
Even more appealing was that her husband was endearing Irish TV star Patrick Kielty.
Together, the couple seemed to have that elusive X-factor of being down-to-earth and yet glamorous enough for the programme’s female viewers.
Indeed, there was even hope that Patrick could also be coaxed into joining her on the famous sofa – in a bid to recreate the magic of the show’s first ever married hosts, Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan.
That idea failed to get off the ground due to Patrick’s lucrative job hosting The Late Late Show in Ireland.
Still, though, ITV’s management felt content with their new hire, believing Cat’s domestic life with her husband and their two sons James, then six, and Milo, eight, would help make her a hit.
In many ways, the bosses have been proved right: it’s undeniable that Cat, 48, along with co-host Ben Shephard, have turned This Morning’s fortunes around.
Cat Deeley and Patrick Kielty announced they had separated last month after nearly 13 years of marriage
It’s undeniable that Cat, 48, along with co-host Ben Shephard, have turned This Morning’s fortunes around, writes Katie Hind
The wholesome Brummie, who’s never lost her accent despite years working in the United States, has done wonders for the show’s reputation after it was embroiled in the grubby Phillip Schofield affair saga.
But there’s also little doubt that she landed one of the most sought-after roles on British television in part because of her seemingly stable marriage – for which she has a rather unlikely person to thank: Gabby Logan.
It was the new Match Of The Day host who encouraged Patrick to reignite his romance with Cat.
Cat and Patrick worked together in 2002 when they hosted BBC One talent show Fame Academy, and neither had much luck with love after that.
Fast forward to 2012, when Patrick was mentoring Gabby to take part in a stand-up show for Comic Relief, which saw her tease him for being a bachelor.
After they parted ways, Gabby sent him a gift to thank him for his help on the project – and enclosed in it some advice that he should reach out to Cat, who was then living in America hosting So You Think You Can Dance, alongside ‘Nasty’ Nigel Lythgoe.
Writing in her autobiography, Gabby said: ‘He clearly adored her. After the event, I sent him a box of wine to thank him for all his help. On the note, I wrote, “Thanks for all the help making me funny, now go marry Cat,” or something helpful and glib like that.
‘A few months later, the tabloids reported they were dating.’
The former couple have two sons together. The family pictured in London, where they relocated after previously living in Los Angeles
Patrick, 54, was pictured last weekend on a trip to the shops near the former couple’s home in north London
Gabby, who is married to former rugby star Kenny Logan, did also light-heartedly discuss how she wasn’t invited to the couple’s wedding, held at St Isidore’s College Church in Rome in September 2012 – just six months after she sent the gift.
‘Now I like to feel I might have given him the nudge he needed, but I wasn’t invited to their wedding and I am not a godmother to his kids, so maybe he doesn’t quite see it that way.’
But shortly after Gabby’s message, Patrick flew all the way from Belfast to Los Angeles on a whim. Cat said: ‘It was my birthday… he was at a pub in Ireland and he’d rung me from the pub.
‘Bear in mind it was probably about 2 o’clock in the morning because they’d had a lock-in.’
When Cat told him she was having a birthday brunch at Beverly Hills Hotel with a few friends, she recalled: ‘He said, “I’ll see you there!” I was like, there’s no way!’
Yet despite her doubts, he was there as promised. She said: ‘He went home, set his alarm for five, got up, went to the airport, flew from Belfast to London, then jumped on the first plane from London to LA, got in a cab, told the cabbie on his way from the airport what he was doing, and the driver was literally like, “Do you want me to wait for you?”
‘He walked in, dropped his bags at the concierge, [then] walked in [the restaurant] and came and sat down for lunch!
‘It knocked my socks off a little bit!’
Despite this grand gesture, there were nasty rumours surrounding Cat and Patrick’s union in the early days.
Some rather cruelly suggested that they had both reached ages where they wanted to settle down and got back together for convenience’s sake – a theory that was perhaps not helped by their speedy wedding.
One source tells me: ‘By then, Cat was living the most glamorous life in Hollywood as one of the only Britons to succeed where so many failed.
‘She was at the top of her game – and then she settled for the pasty guy from Ireland who she had worked with at the beginning of her career.
‘There were some nasty comments made. But the relationship worked.’
In two weeks’ time, Cat will return to This Morning, rejoining Ben as the new season begins.
Sources on the show have told me it didn’t go unnoticed that Cat made the announcement of her split from Patrick while she was on holiday. They speculate that the timing was so that she didn’t have to be in the limelight when the news broke.
It is said to have been a strategy put together by her publicist Ciara Gregory at London-based PR firm Public Eye – whose other A-list clients include actor Hugh Laurie.
On July 29 the pair said in a joint statement: ‘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.’
They added: ‘There will be no further comment.’
Some at This Morning would have preferred a ratings-boosting exclusive.
‘There will be literally six weeks between Cat’s break-up announcement and her returning to work,’ says one ITV insider.
‘Clearly she is hoping her viewers will have forgotten about her dumping Patrick.
‘Imagine if she had been on screen when it broke? I guess she didn’t want to have to deal with that. It was easier to go on holiday.’
And Cat has been enjoying a lavish summer.
Just days after the statement, she was snapped – minus her wedding ring – at Chiringuito de Garraf restaurant, in the Spanish town of Sitges.
She was with her hairdresser friend Ben Skervin, who documented the trip on Instagram. According to his personal website, he has previously worked with the Spice Girls, Keira Knightley, Madonna, Mariah Carey and Hugh Jackman.
He has also collaborated with the designer Karl Lagerfeld and top fashion magazines American Vogue and Vanity Fair, among others.
It is not thought that they are in a romantic relationship, but Ben has still been a shoulder to cry on for her.
By contrast, Cat’s estranged husband Patrick, 54, was pictured last weekend on a trip to the shops near the former couple’s home in north London. He was buying a bottle of red wine, looking very sombre indeed.
Some have wondered what will happen to the family home, which Cat and Patrick bought to be their ‘forever home’ in 2023.
The property – which was a derelict 1950s house in the affluent north London suburb of Hampstead, popular with many celebrities – set them back £5 million and required a huge renovation.
This, combined with both of their busy careers, left Cat feeling ‘shocked’ by the magnitude of what they had committed to.
But it is likely she will remain in situ there.
I first met Cat during her CD:UK days back in 2001, and she was nothing but polite and funny. Since then, I haven’t heard a bad word about her within the British or US showbusiness industry.
Yet some expect that the marital split could affect her reputation as one of the UK’s most loved female celebrities.
This won’t be helped by the fact that Cat was a no-show at the funeral of Patrick’s beloved late mother Mary in March – something which, as the Daily Mail revealed last week, left members of his close-knit family ‘seething’.
A spokesman 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.’
But her surprise absence shocked members of Patrick’s family, also prompting chatter that relations between the couple have been strained for some time.
Cat is now hoping that she can put her summer of turmoil behind her when she gets back in front of the camera.
One source said: ‘This Morning is looking forward to welcoming Cat back to the sofa, she’s loved by her colleagues and has fitted in so well.
‘Now it’s the start of a new era for her – one she can share with the viewers that she cares about so much.’
