Cat Deeley facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Cat Deeley
Deeley in 2011
Born	Catherine Elizabeth Deeley (1976-10-23) 23 October 1976 (age 48) West Bromwich, England
Occupation	Television presenter actress
Years active	1997–present
Spouse(s)	Mark Whelan ​ ​ (m. 2001; div. 2006)​ Patrick Kielty ​ (m. 2012)​
Children	2

Catherine Elizabeth Deeley (born 23 October 1976) is a famous English television presenter. She is currently a main host for ITV's This Morning, alongside Ben Shephard.

Cat Deeley started her career as a host on the children's TV show SMTV Live (1998–2002). For this show, she won a special award called a BAFTA Children's Award. She also hosted its music show spin-off, CD:UK (1998–2005).

Later, in 2003, she co-hosted the talent show Fame Academy on BBC One. She then became the presenter for the ITV talent show Stars in Their Eyes. After Stars in Their Eyes ended in 2006, Cat moved to the United States. There, she began hosting the reality competition show So You Think You Can Dance. She has been nominated five times for a top award, a Primetime Emmy, for her work on this show.

Since 2003, Cat Deeley has supported Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, which helps sick children. In December 2009, she became an ambassador for UNICEF UK, helping children around the world.

Early Life and School

Cat Deeley was born on 23 October 1976 in West Bromwich, West Midlands. She grew up in nearby Sutton Coldfield and Great Barr in Birmingham.

She went to Grove Vale Junior School and Dartmouth High School. At school, she played the clarinet in the Sandwell Youth Concert Band. She later attended Bishop Vesey's Grammar School.

Cat Deeley's Career Journey

When Cat was 14, she entered a regional competition for the BBC show The Clothes Show. She made it to the national finals! She then became a model and was known by her nickname "Cat."

In 1997, she stopped full-time fashion modelling. She started co-hosting the MTV chart show, Hitlist UK, with her friend Edith Bowman.

SM:TV Live and CD:UK

From 1998 to 2002, Cat was a co-host of the popular Saturday morning children's show SM:TV Live. She also hosted its spin-off music shows, CD:UK (1998–2005) and CD:UK Hotshots. On SM:TV Live, she often helped magicians with their tricks, even appearing to be sawn in half!

In 2001, Cat won a Children's BAFTA award. She also appeared in an episode of the BBC show Happiness. In 2002, she was in a TV advert for Marks and Spencer.

Hosting More Shows

Cat hosted many other shows, including The Record of the Year, Fame Academy, and Stars in Their Eyes. She also had a weekly radio show on London's Capital FM.

In 2003, she took over as host of the kids' version of Stars in Their Eyes. Then, in 2004, she became the main host of Stars in Their Eyes until it ended in 2006.

In 2003, Cat interviewed pop star Kylie Minogue for a TV special about her concert, Money Can't Buy. In 2005, Cat played herself in an episode of Little Britain. She also voiced a character named Loretta Geargrinder in the UK version of the film Robots.

Moving to America

In 2006, Cat Deeley began hosting the second season of the American reality show So You Think You Can Dance. She has been the host of this show ever since.

Deeley in 2007

On 1 July 2007, Cat was one of the presenters at the Concert for Diana. This concert honored the late Diana, Princess of Wales. About 500 million people watched the event, which was held at Wembley Stadium.

In 2011, Cat was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for being an amazing host on So You Think You Can Dance.

Other Projects

Cat also hosted the third season of Soundtrack to My Life. She appeared as herself in comedian Peter Kay's show Britain's Got the Pop Factor.

In 2009, Cat was a guest host for the American game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. She also appeared on BBC America's Gordon Ramsay's F Word. In 2010, she hosted So You Think You Can Dance in the UK.

On 9 January 2011, Cat Deeley made a small guest appearance in the Disney Channel sitcom Shake It Up. She played a vice principal who was secretly a dancer.

In June 2011, Cat launched her own web series called In the Dressing Room with Cat Deeley. This show gave a "behind-the-scenes" look at her work.

In 2012, Cat was a guest judge on America's Next Top Model. She also hosted the celebrity dating game show The Choice in the United States.

From 2014 to 2016, Cat was a panelist on the game show Celebrity Name Game.

In 2017, she presented the game show Big Star Little Star for the USA Network. She also started presenting the singing contest Sing: Ultimate A Cappella for Sky One in the UK.

In 2020, Cat Deeley took part in a reunion show for SMTV Live. She and Ant and Dec went back to where the show was first filmed. It aired on 26 December 2020 as The Story of SM:TV Live.

In January 2021, Cat made her debut on BBC Radio 2. She has often filled in for other presenters.

In April 2021, Cat presented Lorraine as a guest host.

Cat Deeley's first book for children, a picture book called The Joy in You, was published on 15 September 2020. She wrote it with Laura Baker.

As an actress, Cat appeared as herself in the TV shows Life's Too Short and House of Lies. Her first main acting role was in the 2015 Hulu TV series Deadbeat. She played a celebrity medium named Camomile White. Cat also voiced a cartoon version of herself in a 2015 episode of The Simpsons.

In 2023, she was a guest presenter for ITV's This Morning. On 16 February 2024, it was announced that Cat Deeley would become a permanent host of the show, alongside Ben Shephard.

Helping Others (Philanthropy)

Since 2003, Cat Deeley has been a supporter of London's Great Ormond Street Hospital, which helps sick children. She also actively supports UNICEF.

In 2007, she took part in a UNICEF benefit show in Los Angeles. In 2008, she visited UNICEF projects in the Philippines. In December 2009, she was named a UNICEF UK ambassador.

Cat Deeley's Personal Life

Cat Deeley describes her religious background as Anglican.

She was married to businessman Mark Whelan for five years.

Cat is a fan of West Bromwich Albion FC, a football team.

Cat Deeley married Northern Irish comedian and TV presenter Patrick Kielty on 30 September 2012 in Rome. They have two sons. Cat and her family used to live in Los Angeles, but now they live in North London.

Filmography

Television

Film

See also

In Spanish: Cat Deeley para niños