The real reason behind Cat Deeley’s absence from her mother-in-law’s funeral has been revealed.
The This Morning presenter, 48, was missing from the ceremony held on Monday in County Down, Ireland, where her husband Patrick Kielty was pictured carrying his mother’s coffin.
Patrick, 54, looked solemn as he carried his mother Mary’s coffin through his home village, joined by family and friends.
It’s now been confirmed that Cat missed the funeral to support her two young children, who are grieving the loss of their grandmother.
The presenter wanted to be there for her sons Milo, eight, and James, five, before and after they finished school.
Her representative confirmed to MailOnline: ‘Cat remained at home to be there for her two young children before and after school on this very sad day.’
Patrick’s mother, who was in her 80s, died in her home village of Dundrum on Saturday.
A death notice said she ‘will be sadly missed and lovingly remembered by her entire family circle, neighbours and friends’.
Patrick has spoken in the past of his close relationship with his mother, and how proud she was of his TV career.
He told The Irish Sun in 2023 that Mary, who was widowed in 1988 and had three sons, was ‘secretly delighted’ when he became host of The Late Late Show.
He said: ‘Mary Kielty is secretly delighted but not making any real public statements.
‘I mean talking to people at mass, which is kind of a public statement in Dundrum. “Well now, what about that son of yours, I’m sure you’re very proud,” to which Mary Kielty would say “Well now, I’ve got three sons, so which one are you talking about?”‘
In 2012, Patrick was joined by his mum to help him run with the Olympic torch ahead of the Olympic games.
He also previously shared that family was one of the reasons he and Cat moved back from Los Angeles, where they’d been living for 15 years.
‘Family that was the main factor in us coming back from America,’ he told The Sun about their move in 2020.
‘My mother is not getting any younger, and Cat’s mum and dad aren’t getting any younger.’
Patrick, who took over from Ryan Tubridy as the host of The Late Late Show on Ireland’s RTE One channel in 2023, married Cat in an intimate ceremony in Rome in 2012.
The TV stars met while presenting Fame Academy in 2003 together, at which time Cat was married to her ex-husband Mark Whelan.
Cat and Patrick welcomed their son Milo in January 2016 and James in June 2018.
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