Cat Deeley and Patrick Kielty’s split announcement blindsided many people in July and now thoughts are turning to what’s next.
According to the Daily Mail, locals of Dundrum, Co Down, are ‘worried’ about Patrick and talking of what will happen if Cat, who had a thriving career in America before the family moved back to the UK, decides to up sticks with their sons.
Patrick and Cat lived in Los Angeles for over 14 years while she presented the TV show So You Think You Can Dance for which she was reportedly paid €50,000 an episode.
Speaking days after their split was revealed, one local said: ‘Everyone is worried about Paddy. The fear is that Cat will go back to America with the little ones. That will leave him in a very dark place.'
Another local added that, in their opinion, if Cat and their sons do move, the Late Late Show could be looking for a new presenter once again.
‘If that happens [Cat moving back to the US] I would say that is the end of Paddy on the Late Late,’ they told the publication. ‘He loves those two fellas and would do anything to be near them.’
According to the Daily Mail, speculation is rife at RTÉ, with people reportedly thinking it was ‘unusual’ that Cat and their two sons didn’t attend Patrick’s mum’s funeral.
An RTÉ source also noted that Cat’s absence had been clocked by Patrick’s colleagues on the Late Late, saying: ‘She never came during his first season and a few people were slagging him off about it – he said she might come. But she never did.’
They continued to say that it was well-known Cat and Patrick had ‘this kind of separate lives thing going on’ because they were both presenting big shows in different countries but that they didn’t realise they were actually living ‘separate lives.’
Rumours of a move are also reportedly flying at ITV, where Cat presents This Morning after being hired to take over the helm following Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby’s exits.
A TV insider told the Daily Mail: ‘It is a job which puts her under so much scrutiny, day-in and day-out, and unlike most British presenters, she has plenty more lucrative options to choose from in the States.’
They added that all is not fun and games at ITV currently, where budget cuts loom and there is the threat of job losses.
Patrick and Cat announced their split at the end of July in a short statement. They wrote: 'We have taken the decision to end our marriage and are now separated. There is no other party involved.
'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.'
