Cat Deeley delivers powerful message after Holly Willoughby’s support

Cat Deeley has praised Holly Willoughby for her support as Deeley took over as lead presenter on This Morning. 

Willoughby, 43, left the ITV morning show last year, citing the need to make a decision for herself and her family. 

Her departure also followed serious allegations involving a plot to kidnap, rape, and murder her, which led to security guard Gavin Plumb being sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 16 years. 

Deeley, who previously co-hosted the children's music chart show CD with Willoughby, began her role on This Morning earlier this year alongside former Good Morning Britain star Ben Shephard.

Recalling Willoughby’s support, the 47-year-old told the Sunday Times: “Holly sent me a beautiful bunch of flowers and a handwritten card.

“At some stage, once the dust settles, I’m sure we will get together.

“People always talk about women being pitted against other women, but actually it’s just not true.”

She also spoke about the increased scrutiny from the press and public since joining the ITV chat show.

Deeley agreed the response has “shocked her” and added: “Everyone keeps checking in with me, ‘Are you OK? Are you handling this all right?'”

“I don’t care. I do not care. If it gets too much for me I’m going to quit. I don’t need to do it. I could stop and be a mum for most of the year, and then go and do the shows in America.

“There is no ulterior motive for me doing this.”

She says she did not have the same reception in the US and called increased focus on her a “very British thing”.

Deeley added it is “clickbait” and “really nothing more than that”, while also suggesting the social media complaints are from “some nameless, faceless person at the end of a keyboard?”

“It doesn’t even touch the sides,” she added.

Willoughby, who used to co-host This Morning with Phillip Schofield before he left ITV over an “unwise, but not illegal” affair, will host a new Netflix show in which adventurer Bear Grylls hunts down celebrities in the jungle.

She is also set to host ITV gameshow You Bet! with Stephen Mulhern.

Mulhern replaced Schofield to present Dancing On Ice on ITV with Willoughby.