Category: Patrick Kielty

Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard have broken their silencer after being unveiled as the new hosts of This Morning.

The pair, aged 47 and 49 respectively, have been locked in talks for some months following the exit of Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield and are now set to make their debut next month following the news.

The news was confirmed via a bespoke promo on This Morning’s Twitter on Friday, showing Ben walking down the familiar This Morning production corridor and placing a new photo of Cat on the wall, before turning to the camera as the photo came to life.

Cat’s This Morning job will see the star reportedly lose her long-time role on So You Think You Can Dance in the US, where she was reportedly paid £43k an episode – instead opting for the role on This Morning with a reported £550k annual salary.

Now the pair have spoken out about their new roles on the show, with the pair revealing what they are looking forward to most.

Cat said: ‘This Morning is a national institution. Whenever it’s on it’s like having your friends over, funny, smart, silly, heartfelt, informative and joyful – like all the greatest friendships! 

While Ben, who is a regular on Good Morning Britain which airs each day before This Morning, said: ‘There is so much! Not having to get up so early and to be able to have a lie in is quite high up there. 

‘But seriously it has to be the people. From the team to the guests to, of course, Cat – it’s all about the people. 

‘I’ve worked with many of the team on and off but to work with them full time is very exciting.’

However, Ben admits it will be tough to leave Good Morning Britain, and he will miss working alongside Kate Garraway, who recently returned to work after the devastating death of her husband Derek Draper.

‘I’ve loved hosting Good Morning Britain over the past 10 years since it launched,’ he said. ‘When I left GMTV, I always swore I’d never go back because of the early mornings and it goes to show how wrong I was.

‘I’m grateful that my extended GMB family is only next door so that whenever I get nostalgic, I know I’m not going to being far away. Although I’ll miss being on screen with them, my later starts mean I may be able to hang out with them all a bit more!

‘One of the hardest decisions of course is knowing that my mornings with Kate, my on-screen wife of nearly 20 years, is coming to an end. 

‘Her journey has been well documented, and I think we would all agree how remarkable she has been over the last four years. 

‘I won’t miss the mess but I’ve learned so much from her, as I have from all of the people I’ve been lucky enough to work alongside.’

On what This Morning means to him, Ben went on: ‘Like so many people, This Morning is the programme I grew up watching when Richard and Judy used to host it – two icons on the daytime sofa. 

‘I first got to host the show with the lovely Fern Britton. I was a last-minute call up and I remember sitting on the bus on the way home, daydreaming about the fact I’d just hosted it and what a moment that was for me.

‘I vividly remember driving over Blackfriars’ Bridge, being on the top of the 63 bus and looking down at the river, daydreaming, and thinking, “Crikey I just hosted This Morning”. 

‘Now, here I am 20 years later and I’m going to be doing it every day.

‘That means a lot. I understand how important it is as a show to our viewers – they are an integral part. Every time I’ve stepped in to host the show, something extraordinary happens. The engagement from the viewers is like nothing else.

‘Viewers watch the show in a very different way – they sit down with a cup of tea and enjoy every bit of it. They are engaged with debates, they love the cooking items, they really enjoy the human interest stories, which is a really important part of the show – it’s a very present audience.’

Cat said: ‘I can’t wait to be a part of the team, from the crew and producers, to the brilliant presenters. I’ve been hosting solo for the past few years and I’ve really missed that sense of camaraderie, it will be great to be a part of such an incredible team.’

Ben is looking forward to working with Cat who he will quiz on her time hosting in America. 

‘It’s always really exciting when you start working with somebody new.’ he explained. ‘Cat has extraordinary experience from working in America on some incredible shows – so I’ll be getting all the inside info on how things work on the other side of the Atlantic.’

Cat said: ‘Ben is a true gentleman, an incredible presenter and a great journalist. No one handles live TV better; he makes it look effortless. He’s funny and whip smart, I can’t wait to go to work every day and do a job I love.’

It had been claimed that Cat was finally won round for This Morning after bosses offered her a more lucrative deal, but insiders at ITV denied the claims – insisting it was the ability to spend more time family, over a big money payday, that finally led to her decision.

Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary discussed the news on Friday, showing a throwback snap of Dermot, Andi Peters and Ben. 

Dermot joked: ‘Ben at T4 that’s actually from last week!’, while Alison replied: ‘Look at Andi Peters!’

Moving on to Cat, Dermot said: I’ve known Cat for so long’, while Alison revealed she first met Cat at a party in Los Angeles about four years ago and they bonded over both being from Birmingham.

She told Dermot: ‘I met her in LA. We’re both Brummies. I met her about four years ago, we met in LA at a party. We are so so happy they are joining the family Ben and Cat. This is going to be so, so nice.’

Dermot said: ‘The secret is out!’, while Alison revealed: ‘They are joining us in March.’

This Morning’s Editor, Martin Frizell said: ‘The team and I have relished the opportunity to try new things these past few months and remind viewers what a massively talented team both on and off screen we have here at This Morning…

‘We can’t wait to welcome Ben and Cat fully into the fold next month and witness the start of another exciting chapter in the show’s 35 year journey.’

Managing Director, ITV Studios Daytime, Emma Gormley added: ‘I feel immensely proud of everyone working on This Morning – for a programme that has evolved many times over the last 35 years, it remains just as relevant and exciting as ever…

‘We are thrilled to have Ben and Cat as our new This Morning hosts and cannot wait to see them on that famous sofa together soon.’

Sources at the channel say that they are ‘thrilled’ at the signing of the pair after ‘so many obstacles had to be negotiated to get there,’ according to one source. Their appointment will be discussed on Friday’s episode of This Morning.

The Mail first revealed that the duo were top of the list but in December Cat turned down the role because she wasn’t able to commit the time to the programme.

However, after further negotiations and the offer of more money, she agreed. One source said: ‘Cat was the one they wanted all along and finally they have her. It is incredible news for them.’

After whispers began last month, many questioned how she would sustain her long-standing role as host of US show So You Think You Can Dance, which she has presented since the second season in 2006. 

Sources claimed she would not receive any special treatment regarding leave to jet to the US to continue her £43k-per-episode job – meaning Friday’s announcement appears to confirm she has chosen the UK over her US stardom.

Cat’s husband Patrick, with whom she shares two children, is the host of Ireland’s The Late Late Show and her role on This Morning would bring her closer geographically to her husband rather than her US job. 

It’s possible the reason for the sudden U-turn was financial, with Cat set to nab a bumper payday as the new host. 

When reports of her joining the show first emerged last year it was claimed she and Ben would receive an annual salary of £555,000. 

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. 

However, Cat isn’t short of cash as she currently earns at least £344,000 a season hosting So You Think You Can Dance in the States, where she is said to be paid £43,000 an episode. 

The new series is set to air in March and Cat has been dividing her time between the States and the UK for filming. 

Tongues were wagging over what she would do about her This Morning contract – and how it would either allow her to continue juggling her LA gig. 

If she does decide to keep both jobs it won’t be for financial reasons, however, as brand and culture expert Nick Ede revealed she could double her This Morning salary with brand deals online. 

Nick told MailOnline: ‘Cat is popular in the style stakes and I can see her making a lot of money partnering with brands like John Lewis and M&S who will be vying for her to wear their items. 

‘She could earn over £200,000 from fashion collabs and she also has her own fragrance which I am sure will fly off the shelves.

‘I can also see her potentially collaborating with a brand like Charlotte Tilbury or L’Oréal and for these she could earn a cool £250,000.

‘Cat is the perfect presenter for This Morning. She has a big fanbase of people who grew up with her on a Saturday morning and she’s always been a safe pair of hands. 

‘She has a great reputation for being lots of fun but she can also balance difficult discussion points too which is why she will make a winning pairing with Ben. 

‘What’s also really great for a brand about Cat is that she has a big appeal in the USA as the host of the hit show So You Think You Dance so if they are looking to expand or create brand deals in the UK and US she’s the perfect person to do it.’ 

It comes after it was revealed that Cat was in a stand-off with ITV bosses over her new post and her long-time role on So You Think You Can Dance. 

Last month, insiders revealed Cat and Ben had scooped the coveted roles of permanent hosts in the wake of stalwart stars Holly and Phil leaving. 

It was alleged that Cat wanted Rylan Clark as a co-host rather than Ben and will ‘not receive special treatment’ to permit her Monday to Thursday role on This Morning and continue her £344k-a season role on the American dance show.

Sources revealed: ‘Cat will not get any special treatment… She will absolutely not be given time off to film the next series of So You Think You Can Dance. So she has to make that decision, it’s one or the other, end of.’ 

Cat is said to have ‘really wanted the job’ but had concerns over her husband Patrick Kielty’s commitments in Ireland and how they would juggle the jobs. 

The insider continued: ‘Cat told friends that she wanted the job, if ‘she could make it work.’ However, she also feared that Patrick’s commitments in Ireland made things very tricky for her to take the job. She also really, really wanted to do it with Rylan.’

It comes after Holly left the show last October ‘for the sake of her family’ after discovering she was the target of a foiled kidnap and murder plot and has since not been replaced permanently. 

It came five months after Phillip’s departure after his affair with a younger showrunner was made public, followed by claims of an increasingly strained relationship with his co-host.

Phillip has bowed out of the spotlight in recent months since his affair scandal in May, which led to his departure from This Morning after over 20 years on the show. 

After much speculation about his private life, his affair finally went public and he admitted he had been left ‘broken and ashamed’ but insisted he was not a groomer.

He said the affair ‘never came across’ as an abuse of power because he and his lover were ‘mates’. He told The Sun: ‘I was unprofessional, one time, in a 41-year career. There is no excuse. No one did anything wrong apart from me.’

In his first interview since leaving the broadcaster and This Morning, the 61-year-old presenter said: ‘I did not, I did not [groom him].

‘There are accusations of all sorts of things. It never came across that way because we’d become mates. I don’t know about that. But of course I understand that there will be a massive judgment, but bearing in mind, I have never exercised that.’

At the time, Phillip offered a number of apologies, including to his co-presenter of 14 years Holly and his wife of 30 years, Stephanie Lowe.