02 February 2024 , 12:42
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Cat Deeley was reportedly told to choose between hosting This Morning in the UK or her US job So You Think You Can Dance.
The 47-year-old TV presenter was exclusively revealed by the Mirror as Holly Willoughby’s replacement on the ITV show, with her new co-host set to be Good Morning Britain ’s Ben Shephard.
But as the pair gear up to be the new ‘Holly and Phil’, it is claimed Cat won’t be given any ‘special treatment’ so she can carry on her presenting duties in the US, where she has hosted So You Think You Can Dance since 2006 and is rumoured to earn £344,000 a season, which equates to £43,000 per episode.
This means Cat has had to make the heartbreaking decision to leave the job she has loved for the past 18 years to take the This Morning role. However, she is said to be doubling her money if she does, as producers are reportedly ready to fork out £555,000 a year to nab her. With Cat and husband Patrick Kielty’s recent move back to London, it comes at a perfect time.
Cat impressed This Morning bosses after her recent stint co-hosting with Rylan (Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
But taking the This Morning job is rumoured to come at a price (Getty Images)At first Cat turned down the main gig after impressing bosses when she recently stood in as a This Morning host with Rylan. She was apparently concerned she couldn’t make it work with her other work commitments and comic and TV presenter husband Patrick’s work commitments in Ireland. But This Morning bosses offered another big money deal to get her to say yes.
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However, there were reportedly terms attached, as a source told the Daily Mail : “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.” There were also claims that although Cat “really, really wanted the job”, she had hoped to co-host with Rylan.
Although This Morning are said to be poised to offer Cat £555,000, it’s still well short of the £700,000-a-year salaries Holly and Phil reportedly took home. The Mirror has approached This Morning. Cat's camp declined to comment on the story.
Cat has presented So You Think You Can Dance in the US for 18 years (FOX Image Collection via Getty Images)Holly and Phil’s reappointments come after both stars quit the show last year. Schofield, 61, left the show under a cloud in May after admitting to an affair with a younger colleague, which he had previously repeatedly denied.
The lies had caused weeks of tension with former pal Holly. She was expected to stay on, but then quit a few months later following threats made to her family. Holly, 42, has since returned to , which she now presents alongside Stephen Mulhern.
An insider told the Mirror: “The cat’s out of the bag - they are the new dream team. is planning to announce Cat and Ben as their new star pairing in March. Obviously Ben is well known and loved by the ITV daytime audience thanks to his many years on the breakfast sofa.
“Cat is also a very recognisable face, thanks to her long stint of working on kids’ TV, although she’s been over in the US for a long time. Back in the 90s and early 2000s, when she worked with Ant and Dec on SMTV Live, she was very warm and funny so it’s hoped they can recreate some of that magic together.