Cat Deeley says she's 'not afraid to walk away' from This Morning over one issue (original) (raw)
Cat Deeley reveals she won't hesitate to 'walk away' from This Morning if certain issue arose
Cat Deeley, 47, joined This Morning as main anchor alongside Ben Shephard in February, replacing Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield, who left the show last year
This Morning's Cat Deeley says she won't hesitate to quit for her mental wellbeing
This Morning presenter Cat Deeley, 47, has revealed she isn't afraid to walk away from a job for the sake of her mental health.
Cat, alongside Good Morning Britain 's Ben Shephard, became the ITV programme's main anchor and replaced Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield after their respective unexpected departures last year. Schofield quit ITV in May following an "unwise but not illegal" affair with a younger co-worker was revealed.
Holly, who appeared on This Morning for 14 years prior to her exit, stepped back from the spotlight in October, following stalker Gavin Plumb's terrifying plot to kidnap, rape and murder the TV star being uncovered. Plumb was jailed for life in July following an eight-day trial.
Speaking in a new interview, Holly's successor Cat admitted she will quit a job if her wellbeing is at risk. Asked if she felt "vulnerable" replacing Holly in the wake of Plumb's vile plot, the mum-of-two shared: "I don’t feel particularly vulnerable. And I’d always think about my own mental health. If something was affecting me, or I hated going into work, I’d walk away. It’s more important that I enjoy what I do."
Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield both dramatically left This Morning last year (
Image:
ITV)
During the chat with Grazia magazine, Cat was also quizzed on the 'toxic workplace' allegations attached to the This Morning set, with former stars Dr Ranj and Eammon Holmes hitting out at the ITV show. "Well, obviously Ben and I had heard all of those stories," Cat admitted. "I can only speak as I find it, and I have no idea what happened before we were there, but I haven’t seen one scrap of it."
Prior to landing the This Morning gig in February, Cat, who shares two sons with Northern Irish comedian and The Late Late Show host Patrick Kielty, had been the face of the US talent show So You Think You Can Dance for the majority of its 18 seasons. In September, she reflected on her time in the US, where she didn't encounter the same level of scrutiny, describing the heightened attention in the UK as a "very British thing".
Regarding social media criticism, Cat dismissed the negative comments as coming from "some nameless, faceless person at the end of a keyboard." "It doesn't even touch the sides," she concluded. She also expressed her gratitude towards Holly for her support during the transition to lead presenter on This Morning.
Reflecting on Holly's encouragement, Cat shared with the Sunday Times: "Holly sent me a beautiful bunch of flowers and a handwritten card. It was a really classy move, it really touched me. At some stage, once the dust settles, I'm sure we will get together. People always talk about women being pitted against other women, but actually it's just not true."
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