"Everybody’s doing their best" – Cat Deeley on sleepless nights and modern family life

Restless nights and constant worries – that’s what life looks like now for Cat Deeley, the popular host of This Morning. After announcing her separation from comedian Patrick Kielty in July 2025, she’s reflecting on her new reality. Now 49, Cat is busy co-parenting their two sons, Milo and James, aged 10 and 8, while navigating a fresh family routine in London. She admits that, though their lives look fine from the outside, the reality is filled with anxiety and midnight spirals over her children’s happiness and futures.

Cat Deeley’s new normal: sleepless nights and constant questions

Splitting up after twelve years of marriage, Cat Deeley and Patrick Kielty made the tough choice to reorganise family life. Their decision to return to the UK in 2020, leaving behind bustling Los Angeles, was driven by a need for safety and a desire for Milo and James to experience a British education. The change came after a terrifying incident at the Century City Mall in LA, where the family found themselves at the centre of a public armed situation. The experience, which Cat describes as “real”, solidified her conviction that Britain was now home.

Digging deeper into her concerns, Cat reveals, "I probably worry about the kids more now than I did then [when they were little]. I just want them to be happy, and I tend to worry a little bit too much." When sleep escapes her, she’s haunted by thoughts: "Sometimes when I can’t sleep at night, I go into this kind of spiral of, 'Will they be happy, and will they find something that they love to do?' and 'Will they find someone to love?' You just want the best for them."

A family built on teamwork: praise for her 'brilliant nanny' and Kielty’s role

Juggling TV fame, parenthood and co-parenting brings challenges – but Cat is far from alone. She says, "I have a great team of people around me. I have a brilliant nanny who’s basically my right-hand woman. She’s just ace." Being organised is her secret weapon: "It’s about being as organised as you can possibly be. I have an amazing nanny too." Even after the split, Cat and Patrick have agreed on an even division: caring for the boys "50-50," a routine that, according to her, works when "everybody’s doing their best."

The family’s dramatic experience at the Century City Mall has left a mark. Patrick’s calm during the crisis is clear from his words: "They’re taking us out through the fire exits but nobody can get to their car. If we walk to a junction, can you come and get us?" That phone call, made as FBI officers rushed shoppers to safety, showed how real the stakes had become in LA life and why the UK felt safer, even with all its own complexities. Cat remains convinced: "I don’t think America will change its gun control laws."

Returning to the UK also allowed Cat to raise her sons in what she calls a real "melting pot". As she told The Times, "London is a melting pot. I like that there is very little segregation and I think it’s important that [my sons] see different types of people from different backgrounds."

Community and coping: how Cat finds strength in support

For Cat Deeley, life is not just about surviving as a solo parent, but thriving thanks to her strong support circle. The praise flows for her nanny and her broader team, echoing a gratitude that might otherwise be lost beneath celebrity habit.

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Cat Deeley reveals she suffers sleepless nights of 'spiralling' over her kids as she reflects on life after her split from Patrick Kielty and praises her 'brilliant nanny'

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