Cat Deeley's heartbreaking regret over lavish wedding to Patrick Kielty
This Morning's Cat, 48, and Irish broadcaster Patrick, 54, first crossed paths whilst co-presenting BBC Fame Academy in 2002. The pair fronted two series of the programme together.
The couple wed in Rome during September 2012, merely nine months after beginning their romance. They were joined by 100 guests at an intimate ceremony conducted by Belfast-based priest Father Gary Donegan.
Cat had previously disclosed that her grandfather was unable to attend the overseas nuptials due to being too poorly to make the journey. The former pair filmed the proceedings for him, yet tragically he passed away before viewing the footage, reports the Mirror.
The star revealed this anguish when questioned about her "biggest regret" by Grazia magazine in 2017. She responded: "He died before he saw it. The good thing is we love it and, after two glasses of wine, Patrick and I put it on like a pair of losers." Patrick Kielty and Cat Deeley met in 2002 (Image: PA)
Supporters of the duo were left shocked when wedding details emerged. Particularly since Patrick had refuted engagement rumours just months prior to their vows.
Cat even picked out her wedding dress before the couple were planning to walk down the aisle. Speaking on Lorraine in 2021, she said: "Mine [wedding dress] is in the cupboard somewhere but I'd actually already got my dress before... It wasn't because I was feeling lucky, I promise! It was a couture dress from Alexander McQueen - a shift white dress.
"It was so beautiful that I just couldn't not buy it and I hadn't even met Paddy at that stage. I literally put it in my cupboard and I was like I'll wear it to something... I'll wear it to some awards. There you go."
Parents to two children, Cat and Patrick have recently announced their split, stating: "We have taken the decision to end our marriage and are now separated. There is no other party involved." Patrick Kielty and Cat Deeley married in 2012 (Image: Getty Images North America)
They've asked for privacy as they navigate this change: "We will continue to be united as loving parents to our children and would therefore kindly ask for our family privacy to be respected. There will be no further comment."
Cat rose to fame while presenting SM:TV Live alongside Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly. While she met Patrick in 2002 on Fame Academy, the pair didn't become romantically involved for almost a decade.
Patrick, an RTE presenter, credits a grand romantic gesture for winning Cat's heart, as he shared with The Daily Mail: "Unless someone was stupid enough to get on a plane, nothing would have happened.
"Cat was in LA and I was in Northern Ireland, so I texted her to wish her a happy birthday. When she said she was having a birthday lunch at the Beverly Hills Hotel, I said I'd be there. She told me to go to sleep as I was drunk.
"That was 2am. I got up at 5am, went to Belfast airport for 6am, got the 7.15am flight to Heathrow, landed at 8.30am, took off again at 9.40am and arrived in LA at 1.15pm."
The pair had been living in America whilst Cat was presenting So You Think You Can Dance. They nevertheless moved back to the UK in 2020.
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