Cat Deeley has a big birthday approaching. In just under two weeks, the This Morning host will be celebrating the big five-oh – and she is feeling unfazed.
"I'm not big on birthdays," she tells HELLO! when we spent an afternoon with her at Browns Hotel in Mayfair, courtesy of Gold Collagen. "Age isn't important to me in any way, shape or form."
In fact, Cat says she feels better than ever in midlife, preferring how she looks now to when she burst onto our screens at 18. "I used to arrive at the studio before everyone else so nobody would see me without makeup on," she shares. "Now I feel luminous in my body. I definitely feel more comfortable in my own skin."
Throwing it back
Cat's career began on MTV before she moved to ITV to host SMTV and CD:UK with Ant and Dec. Next, the presenter hopped over the pond to LA where she spent 12 years presenting 17 seasons of So You Think You Can Dance.
2020 saw Cat return to the UK (more on that later) and she has spent the last two years at the helm of This Morning, hosting alongside Ben Shepherd. "I have loved every step of the way," Cat says of her career – and her five decades so far. "I see birthdays as a time to take stock, and ask myself where I am."
And where is she? "I'm incredibly happy. I have a career that I love; I wake up every day excited to go to work. I feel good; life doesn't get better than this."
Managing the juggle
Anyone who's followed Cat throughout her career will know her signature Brummie honesty is part of her charm, and the mother of two is refreshingly upfront about how she manages to parent her eight- and 10-year-old sons alongside one of the biggest presenting jobs on television.
"There is no way I could cope without my amazing and incredible nanny," she says. "We're a team and my life would be physically impossible without her.
"My life would be physically impossible without our nanny."
"I'm a huge believer in women supporting women, and our nanny's teenage son is soon going to move in with us so he can go to college; we help each other out," Cat reveals.
Cat's nanny allows her to "take stock of the day" before work, with her morning routine following a strict structure.
© Instagram"I get up at 5 am so I can have a casual potter around the house, chill and give myself headspace and read the news before work," Cat says of her daily routine. "This Morning really works for me, it's the perfect job for me right now, because I can be home in time for school pick-up and homework.
"I'm a strict parent," Cat says with a wicked smile. "Screens have to be earned, and they're not allowed on devices after dinner at 6:30 pm." The one thing she relents on?
"Both of my sons are creepers. They go to bed fine, but both of them creep into my room in the night. But I don't mind. Soon I'm sure they'll only communicate with me via grunts and hardly want to know me, so I'm making the most of them wanting to come in and cuddle at the moment."
© InstagramFamily ties
It was family that made Cat want to move back to the UK, swapping her sunshine-soaked California life for a home in London. "There's such a small window when your parents are well, and your kids want to spend time with family, and I didn't want to miss out.
"I loved my life in LA. I miss the sunshine, I miss having a horse and spending evenings on the beach," she says before revealing that she and her brother are working together on a huge renovation project, creating the dream home for Cat and her boys.
"It's scary," she says of the renovation, "but I always think, if something scares you a little bit, you have to go for it."
© InstagramFinding time for herself
Between four days a week of live TV, being mum to two boys and managing a renovation, you might wonder how Cat finds time for herself – and she admits she is often at the bottom of her priorities list.
"I think most women leave themselves until last, but I feel a million times better when I take care of myself; when I do physical activity and when I take time to breathe."
For Cat, self-care is "anything very simple and easy to fit into real life." She practices yoga every other day, admitting: "I'm not good at creating downtime, but I subscribe to yoga online so there are no excuses; I can pick the type of class, the duration, and I have to just do it.
"I disappear into an abyss of inane self-chatter at bedtime, but if I concentrate on breathing, I can calm that."
Her wellbeing routine comprises Gold Collagen sachets which she's been taking "for years", sharing: "I want something that delivers, I have no time to waste. I started taking collagen for my skin, hair and nails, but it's great for my joints too. I no longer crunch when I walk down the stairs."
© Max Cisotti/Dave Benett/Getty ImOf her skin and hair, Cat laments: "My skin and hair go through a lot so I refuse to wear makeup when I'm not working, but I always use Charlotte Tilbury under-eye patches, £58, Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream, £31, the Kevyn Aucoin eyelash curler, £22, which make a huge difference to how awake I look, and there's always a face spritz in my handbag."
With 50 just days away, Cat's pared-back routine is certainly working for her, and we can't wait to see what the next decade holds.
