Morning Show Host Apologizes After Insensitive Joke: Cat Deeley Responds to ‘This Morning’ Backlash

Cat Deeley, the recently appointed co-host of ITV’s This Morning, found herself at the center of controversy following an ill-advised joke about seizures during Monday’s broadcast. The incident, which brought immediate backlash from viewers and epilepsy awareness organizations, led to a public apology from Deeley on Tuesday’s show.

The situation began when Deeley, while dancing with co-host Ben Shephard, quipped, “I’m fine, I’m just having a seizure.” This off-the-cuff remark quickly drew criticism from viewers and advocacy groups alike, who pointed out the insensitivity of making light of a serious medical condition.

The Epilepsy Society was among the first to respond, taking to social media to express their disappointment. They wrote on X, “Seizures are no laughing matter for people with #epilepsy @catdeeley. Please do better and educate yourselves about this difficult and poorly understood condition, @thismorning.”

Similarly, the charity Young Epilepsy voiced their concerns. They noted on X, “There are more than 100,000 children and young people who live with epilepsy in the UK. Seizures significantly impact their life – they are not something to be ridiculed or joked about.”

Deeley addressed the issue at the start of Tuesday’s broadcast. She stated, “I just wanted to apologise to anyone who was offended yesterday when I made a light-hearted comment about my dancing style. It really wasn’t supposed to cause any upset to anybody. But I can see why that might have been the case. So I do apologise and am very sorry for the upset.”

Shephard supported Deeley’s apology, adding, “It would never have been our intention.” Deeley further emphasized that her comment “didn’t come from that place at all,” suggesting a lack of malicious intent behind her words.

Clare Pelham, chief executive of the Epilepsy Society, responded to Deeley’s apology with a statement. “I would like to thank Cat Deeley for her apology on This Morning. We understand that it is difficult on live TV for every remark to be well-chosen and well-expressed.

“We all make mistakes and often something good can come from a mistake. We hope that will be the case at This Morning. There is so much that they could do to improve understanding of seizures and the right way for the public to respond to them.

“This is particularly important for people with epilepsy who live with stigma every day. We are incredibly grateful when the broadcast channels, including This Morning, take time and trouble to highlight the challenges of living with epilepsy.”

This controversy comes at a sensitive time for This Morning, as the show attempts to rebuild its reputation following the departures of long-time hosts Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby in 2023. Deeley and Shephard were brought in as permanent replacements, tasked with steering the show into a new era.

According to an insider who spoke to MailOnline, the show’s producers were quick to demand an apology from Deeley. The source revealed, “The show is desperate to avoid any controversy after what’s happened over the past two years,” referring to the tumultuous exit of the previous hosts.

However, the same insider suggested that there was some debate behind the scenes about the importance of the apology, stating, “But there is a feeling behind the scenes the apology wasn’t overly necessary.” In response to Deeley’s initial comment, Epilepsy Society had written on social media: “Seizures are no laughing matter for people with #epilepsy @catdeeley Please do better and educate yourselves about this difficult and poorly understood condition.”