Her name is on everyone's lips right now as reports grow that This Morning bosses are desperate to sign up Cat Deeley as main host on the daytime show.
The whispers follow Cat’s successful debut last month, with viewers praising her and Craig Doyle as a “dream team” and “a breath of fresh air”, and one posting, “Such a relief to get two quick-witted, quality, seasoned professionals,” after she also hosted alongside Rylan Clark.
Now an insider tells Closer that Cat – who relocated from LA to the UK in 2020 – is the frontrunner to take over from former host Holly Willoughby as a permanent fixture on the show.
But, we’re told, mum-of-two Cat, 47, is also feeling torn between giving up her quieter family life and stepping back into the limelight. Our source says, “Cat is top of the list for producers to replace Holly, but they face a challenge in persuading her to take it.
“Deciding is a really big emotional tug-of-war for Cat, because accepting the job would mean jumping back into the biggest job on daytime TV. As much as she enjoyed her stint on This Morning, she did love her quieter life in America – where she could live a little more under the radar with so many celebs around.
“Cat is thinking it all over, but ITV want a decision ASAP. Ideally, they want someone in place before the new year.”
Former host Holly, 42, fronted the show for 14 years before her shock resignation in October. At the time, Holly – who shares Harry, 14, Belle, 12, and eight-year-old Chester with husband Dan Baldwin – released a statement on social media, stressing that she had felt the need to make the decision “for me and my family”.
Cat moved from LA with her husband of 11 years, comedian Patrick Kielty, and their two sons – Milo, seven, and James, five – to north London in 2020.
At the time, Cat – who’d spent 15 years in America after landing the role as presenter on the US version of So You Think You Can Dance in 2005 – opened up about how Patrick and Milo had been caught in a “live shooter” threat.
Unable to contact her husband after he picked up their eldest son from playgroup, Cat soon discovered that the pair had been forced to hide under a counter in a local burger restaurant.
“People were screaming and crying. Then as they were all hiding, the FBI turned up with guns,” she revealed.
“It just turned out to be a suspect package but… Milo [was] three years old. Something like that has happened to him. The gun laws in America are crazy.”
The couple made the decision to sell their £3.8m mansion overlooking Beverly Hills and relocate back to the UK, where they are currently renting while they undertake huge renovation works on their £4.9m new home in Hampstead.
Patrick is currently hosting The Late Late Show in Ireland after landing the sought-after presenting role in September.
