Cat Deeley reunites with the Hollywood producer who launched her US presenting career after 30 years of ‘unbreakable friendship’

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Cat Deeley posted some heartwarming photos on Monday showing her catching up with Hollywood producer Jeff Thacker.

Holly Willoughby, 49, was all smiles while reconnecting with the producer who helped her start her American TV career three decades ago. They chatted over a glass of red wine.

Cat shared photos of their reunion on Instagram, writing that it was a ‘full circle moment.’ They explained that almost 30 years ago, they had lunch with @jeffthacker right before filming began for the show ‘Stars In Their Eyes’!

She went on to explain that he’d taken her to the Ivy and told her, ‘Now, tell me everything that would make you succeed!’

It’s funny looking back at how confident I was when I was younger! I’m so grateful I had a wonderful mentor who became a lifelong friend.

Cat first gained recognition as a co-host on the BBC One talent show Fame Academy in 2003, and later became the host of Stars in Their Eyes on ITV.

After the last episode of the talent show in 2006, Cat started hosting the American reality competition, So You Think You Can Dance. She’s been nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award five times for her work on the show.

Just last week, Cat jumped on the 2016 viral trend, sharing photos of her life in Los Angeles.

The television personality lived and worked in the United States for 14 years, hosting various shows and attending glamorous events with famous actors and actresses.

Looking back at photos from ten years ago, Cat reminisced about a time when she loved high heels, used a lot of filters, and always posed with a peace sign!

The photos revealed the TV presenter both at work on set and enjoying glamorous nights out with friends, often wearing sparkly, short dresses.

Cat jokingly responded to her stylist friend Charlie Brear, saying their go-to nighttime look was simply dry shampoo and a dress – a winning combination in their book!

In 2016, Cat welcomed her son, Milo, into the world. She recently shared a heartwarming photo from Milo’s first Halloween, showing them playing together.

Cat and her former husband, Patrick Kielty, began their family while living in Los Angeles, and had their second son, James, in 2018. They moved back to the UK in 2020.

Cat has been co-hosting This Morning with Ben Shephard since 2024. This followed changes to the show’s presenters after Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby left.

Beyond family commitments and her role on This Morning, the star shared that a frightening experience with a gun led her and Patrick to become unhappy with their life in Los Angeles, ultimately influencing their decision to move.

I remember reading an interview with her in YOU Magazine where she opened up about something really heartbreaking. She talked about the intense anxiety she feels thinking about her children eventually starting school, and the fear of a possible school shooting. It was so raw and honest, and really stuck with me.

She described how her worries came true when her family was forced to flee a shooting at the Century City Mall in Los Angeles, explaining that it happened after Milo and his father visited the mall following his morning nursery class.

FBI agents arrived with weapons and told everyone to hide, explaining there was an active shooter nearby.

When Patrick and Milo first realized there was a gunman inside, they quickly hid in the kitchen of a Shake Shack.

Cat explained that her husband was attempting to shield their son from realizing how serious and frightening things were.

She explained that the center had been closed, and she received a call from Paddy who said, “They’re evacuating us through the fire exits, but everyone is having trouble reaching their cars. If we walk to the nearest intersection, could you come pick us up?”

It was a frightening experience. Paddy was deeply disturbed, much more so than Milo, who was just feeling hot and irritable and didn’t fully grasp what had happened.

Cat now lives in London with her sons, co-parenting with Patrick, whom she split from last year.

In a statement released in July, the couple announced they are getting divorced after 13 years of marriage. They plan to continue working together as parents.

The Daily Mail reported that Patrick’s family was deeply upset when Cat didn’t attend his mother’s funeral several months before they separated, and they felt this signaled the end of the marriage.

When she didn’t appear in March, the Kielty family was deeply hurt. They felt it made it clear that a reunion with the other person was unlikely.

A representative for Cat told the Daily Mail that she stayed home with her two young children before and after school on that difficult day.

Cat and Patrick initially met in 2002 while working together on the BBC show Fame Academy, but they didn’t start dating until a decade later.

Cat recently shared the story of how Patrick transformed their friendship into a romantic relationship. He surprised her by flying from Belfast to Los Angeles for a celebratory brunch while she was hosting So You Can Dance.

They began dating publicly in May 2012 and were married in a small, private ceremony in Rome that September.

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2026-01-27 15:21