This Morning presenter Cat Deeley, 49, has admitted her move back to the UK was prompted after her then-husband Patrick Kielty and their son were caught up in a "terrifying" gun incident in 2020. The star surprised many when she agreed to return home and host the ITV daytime show, as she had enjoyed nearly two decades of major success in America.
US stardom and the turning point
She first officially moved across the Atlantic to take over as host for the second season of Fox's So You Think You Can Dance. The show quickly became a massive primetime rating hit, launching her into US stardom.
However, the American dream turned sour following the public shooting incident. Patrick and Milo, now 10, were in the Century City Mall when the FBI turned up with guns and ordered everyone to take cover as a shooter was on the loose. They were forced to hide in the kitchen of a Shake Shack during the incident.
Reflecting on gun laws
The shocking moment, which had seen Paddy trying to keep his son calm so he didn't understand the danger of the situation, prompted their move back to the UK with Milo and their other son, James, now eight.
Reflecting on the gun laws in the US, she told The Times: "I don’t think America will change its gun control laws."
"When we were looking around schools, we were shown the safe room children go to when there is a live shooter. It made me realise how [school shootings] are real. They are a problem," she recalled.
Life changes and split
Cat had previously opened up about the life-changing moment in a chat with YOU Mag. "They shut down the centre. I got a call from Paddy, saying: 'They’re taking us out through the fire exits but nobody can get to their car. If we walk to a junction, can you come and get us?'" she remembered.
Five years after their UK return in July 2025, Cat and Patrick stunned the showbiz world when they announced their split after more than a decade of marriage, having wed in September 2012 at a ceremony in Rome. The couple shared the news in a joint statement which read: "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."
