Television presenter Cat Deeley has made an emotional return to Los Angeles, reuniting with former colleagues and friends years after she left the United States following a harrowing gun-related incident. The 49-year-old star, who spent 14 years living and working in America, shared nostalgic snaps from her trip on Instagram this week.
Reconnecting with Hollywood Friends
In her social media posts, Deeley was pictured catching up with Jeff Thacker, a former producer on the hit show So You Think You Can Dance, which she hosted during her time in the US. She also shared moments with another close friend, Christina Gualazzi, as they enjoyed the California sunshine. Deeley sported a casual grey jumper and black shorts, accessorised with sleek black sunglasses, appearing relaxed as she soaked up the familiar LA atmosphere.
A Life-Changing Decision
Deeley and her now ex-husband, Patrick Kielty, began their family while residing in Los Angeles, welcoming their second son, James, in 2018. However, in 2020, the couple made the significant decision to relocate back to the United Kingdom. Beyond the pull of family and career opportunities—including her current role co-hosting This Morning alongside Ben Shephard since 2024—a terrifying gun incident profoundly influenced their move.
In a prior interview with YOU Magazine, Deeley revealed her longstanding anxiety about potential school shootings as her children approached school age. Those fears materialised dramatically when her family experienced a mall shooting firsthand. She recounted the chilling event: "That danger became even more real last summer when Milo and his father went to the Century City Mall in LA after morning nursery."
The Terrifying Mall Ordeal
Deeley described how FBI agents arrived with guns drawn, ordering everyone to take cover under counters or hide as a shooter was reported loose in the building. Kielty and their son Milo were forced to seek refuge in a Shake Shack kitchen, with Kielty attempting to keep the boy calm amidst the chaos. "They shut down the centre," Deeley recalled. "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?’ It was terrifying. Paddy was shaken by it, more than Milo, who was hot and cranky but didn’t properly understand."
Life After the Move
Currently, Deeley resides in London with her sons, co-parenting with Kielty following their split last year. The couple announced their divorce in a joint statement in July, confirming the end of their 13-year marriage while pledging to remain united as parents. Reports have surfaced regarding family tensions, including Deeley's absence from Kielty's mother's funeral earlier in the year, which some relatives viewed as a definitive sign of marital breakdown. A spokesperson for Deeley explained at the time that she stayed home to care for their two young children before and after school on that sad day.
From Friendship to Romance
Deeley and Kielty first met in 2002 while co-hosting the BBC talent show Fame Academy, though their romantic relationship did not blossom until a decade later. Kielty famously flew from Belfast to Los Angeles—where Deeley was hosting So You Think You Can Dance—to turn their friendship into a romance over a celebratory brunch. The pair went public with their relationship in May 2012 and married in an intimate ceremony in Rome that September.
This LA reunion marks a poignant full-circle moment for Deeley, revisiting the city that once represented both her career zenith and a source of profound personal fear, now reconnecting with the friendships that defined her years there.
