Comic's marriage over after 13 years

Patrick Kielty has separated from Cat Deeley after 13 years of marriage.

The strains of working apart has been blamed for the split. The comic hosts RTÉ's The Late Late Show in Dublin, while Deeley presents ITV's This Morning in London.

In a joint statement the couple – who have  two children together –  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.’

The pair  co-hosted the BBC talent show Fame Academy in 2002, but it was only 12 years later that they became a couple after Kielty flew from Belfast to Los Angeles for a lunch with Deeley.

He once explained:  ‘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.’

The couple lived in California for more than 14 years while Deeley became a star in America, presenting the talent show So You Think You Can Dance.

Published: 30 Jul 2025