Cat Deeley’s future on This Morning has been confirmed just nine months after she made her debut.
The presenter, 48, joined the programme in February this year, alongside Ben Shephard, 50, following the departures of Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby.
It has now been reported that Cat has secured a major new deal, keeping her on the show until spring 2026 after landing a huge deal.
Cat has signed a new contract which kicks in March and is said to be in the realm of £600,000 for a 12 month stint.
Her co-host Ben has also agreed to extend his time on the This Morning sofa alongside her.
‘Cat loves This Morning but has conceded she’ll be one of their shortest ever serving presenters,’ a source said.
Cat Deeley’s future on This Morning has been confirmed just nine months after she made her debut
The presenter, 48, joined the programme in February this year, alongside Ben Shephard, 50, following the departures of Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby
They went on to tell The Sun: ‘Cat was brought in alongside Ben to steady the ship and she’s done just that, ratings have been tricky but the daily drama has finally ended.
‘Cat signed a year-long deal with Ben last year and she’s agreed to another 12 months.’
The source claimed that Cat had spoken to those close to her and expressed she was ‘growing tired of it’ and is set to be focusing her energy on another project when her new contract ends in 2026.
Although she has ‘zero desire’ to follow Willoughby’s legacy and become a show legend, she is keen to remain loyal to the programme, as well as the viewers at home.
ITV insiders say Cat and Ben have the ‘full support’ of the channel’s director of television Kevin Lygo, who is said to ‘adore’ Cat.
A source told MailOnline: ‘Kevin was very much behind hiring Cat, along with Martin, they pulled out the stops to get her and there were lots of obstacles.
‘She is loved at ITV and they don’t want her to go anywhere. As for Ben, he is loved by ITV’s viewers. Martin has known that he would be going for some time now, even when he hired Cat and Ben.
‘Everyone at ITV is thrilled with how things have calmed down since they have taken over, they have steadied the ship and the show is no longer making headlines for the wrong reasons.’
Cat has signed a new contract which kicks in March and is said to be in the realm of £600,000 for a 12 month stint. Her co-host Ben has also agreed to extend his time on the This Morning sofa alongside her
The duo were locked in talks for months following the exit of Holly Willoughby, 43, and Phillip Schofield, 62
The duo were locked in talks for months while a whole host of presenters including Craig Doyle, Alison Hammond and Josie Gibson temporarily took over hosting duties following the exit of Holly Willoughby, 43, and Phillip Schofield, 62.
Phillip resigned in disgrace after more than 20 years on the programme in May 2023 after lying about an affair with a younger colleague.
ITV bosses were forced to deny ‘turning a blind eye’ to the affair before it came out in public, prompting a huge public spat between Phillip and his former friend Holly Willoughby – who herself resigned five months later after being informed by police of a horrific plot to kill her.
Cat stepped away from her job across the Atlantic on So You Think You Can Dance where she was reportedly paid £43k an episode – instead opting for the role on This Morning with a reported £550k annual salary.
While hefty, the salary still paled in comparison to former hosts Holly and Phil, who were said to have been paid £700,000 annually for their role.
Meanwhile, former Good Morning Britain presenter Ben was hailed as a ‘safe bet’ by fans.
Their debut episode drawing an average viewership of 806,000 and a peak of one million – among the show’s highest ratings of 2024 so far.
This week, viewers tuning in begged bosses to consider replacing Ben with Dermot O’Leary after he filled in while the former GMB presenter is away filming another ITV show
Viewers seemed to be similarly impressed, with many praising the pair as being ‘much more refreshing’.
The following week saw the figure plunge to as low as 692,500, lower than both Holly and Phillip’s last day, which saw 767,00 people tune in.
A spokesperson for This Morning told MailOnline at the time: ‘Ben and Cat have recorded the best audience reach of the year so far on This Morning with 4.5 million viewers across one week.
‘Viewing figures for January – March 2024 are also up 5 percent compared to 2023.’
But this week, viewers tuning in begged bosses to consider replacing Ben with Dermot O’Leary after he filled in while the former GMB presenter is away filming another ITV show.
Viewers wrote on X: ‘Cat and Dermot work VERY well together. Natural, relaxed, energetic and warm. Not at all stiff or awkward #ThisMorning;’
‘Dermot should be the main full time presenter. He’s great with both Cat and Alison #ThisMorning.’
‘Anyone noticing it’s less stressful now Ben’s not around? #ThisMorning, ‘Cat and Dermot have more chemistry than Ben and Cat #thismorning’ and ‘Cat is much better with Dermot #ThisMorning.’
