Catherine Elizabeth Deeley (born 23 October 1976) is an English television presenter. Since 2024, she has co-presented ITV's This Morning, alongside Ben Shephard.
Deeley began her television career as a co-presenter of the ITV children's show SMTV Live (1998–2002), for which she won a BAFTA Children's Award, and its spin-off chart show CD:UK (1998–2005). In 2003, she co-presented the talent show Fame Academy on BBC One and became the presenter of the ITV talent show Stars in Their Eyes. Following the final series of Stars in Their Eyes in 2006, Deeley began hosting the reality competition show So You Think You Can Dance in the United States, for which she has been nominated five times for a Primetime Emmy.
Since 2003, Deeley has been a patron of London's Great Ormond Street Hospital for sick children. In December 2009, she was made a UNICEF UK ambassador.
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Early life
Deeley was born on 23 October 1976 at Sandwell General Hospital in West Bromwich, West Midlands. She grew up in Birmingham, in nearby Sutton Coldfield and Great Barr. She attended Grove Vale Junior School and Dartmouth High School in Great Barr, where she played the clarinet in the Sandwell Youth Concert Band. Deeley then attended Bishop Vesey's Grammar School in Sutton Coldfield.
Career
At the age of 14, Deeley entered a regional edition of a BBC competition for The Clothes Show, in which she reached the national finals. She was signed as a model under her nickname of "Cat" to make it easier for clients to rebook her. She left full-time fashion modelling in 1997, following changes in her contract with Storm. Deeley started to co-present the MTV chart show, Hitlist UK, with close friend Edith Bowman. From 1998 until 2002, Deeley was co-host of the Saturday morning children's programme SM:TV Live, and hosted its spin-off programmes CD:UK (1998–2005) and CD:UK Hotshots. On SM:TV Live, she often acted as an apparently slightly unwilling assistant whenever the show featured a guest appearance by a magician, participating in a number of different illusions.
In 2001, Deeley won a Children's BAFTA award and appeared in an episode of the BBC's Happiness. In 2002, she appeared in a television advert for Marks and Spencer. Other programmes she hosted include The Record of the Year, Fame Academy, The 2004 Brit Awards and Stars in Their Eyes, as well as a weekly broadcast on London's Capital FM and a BBC Choice series, Roadtripping, both with former MTV colleague Edith Bowman. In March 2003, it was announced that Deeley would replace Matthew Kelly as host of the children's series of Stars in Their Eyes. Following Kelly's departure from the main series in March 2004, Deeley became host of the main show until its cancelation in December 2006.
In 2003, Deeley interviewed Kylie Minogue for a television special about her one-off concert, Money Can't Buy, which was broadcast in the United Kingdom on ITV on 22 November and in Australia on Network Ten on 24 November. In 2005, Deeley played herself in an episode of Little Britain, provided the voice of Loretta Geargrinder in the UK version of the film Robots, replacing Natasha Lyonne, and presented a countdown of ITV's 50 Greatest Shows alongside Phillip Schofield as part of ITV 50.
In 2006, Deeley began hosting the second season of American reality show So You Think You Can Dance, replacing newscaster Lauren Sánchez, who was pregnant at the time. Deeley again interviewed Kylie Minogue for another television special, which was broadcast in the United Kingdom on Sky One on 16 July, in Australia on Channel Nine on 17 July and BBC America on 9 September. Deeley was a guest reporter on NBC's The Tonight Show. She presented Fox's New Year's Eve Special from Times Square in 2006 and 2007.
Philanthropy
Since 2003, Deeley has been a patron of London's Great Ormond Street Hospital. She is also an active supporter of UNICEF. In 2007, she took part in a UNICEF benefit show in Los Angeles during which magician David Copperfield sawed her in half using his antique Buzz Saw illusion. In 2008, she visited a number of UNICEF projects in the Philippines, including their Soccer Aid 2 project in Manila. In December 2009, she was made a UNICEF UK ambassador.
Personal life
Deeley describes her religious affiliation as Anglican, although she was not christened.
Deeley lived with businessman Mark Whelan for five years, splitting in 2006.
Deeley married Northern Irish comedian and television presenter Patrick Kielty on 30 September 2012 in Rome. They have two sons and previously lived in Los Angeles before relocating to North London. On 29 July 2025, they announced that they had separated.
Deeley is a supporter of West Bromwich Albion F.C.
During her first few years hosting So You Think You Can Dance, Deeley was described as "an approachable sex symbol" in a Los Angeles Times article published on 4 July 2010.
