In news that will surely send an entire generation of millennials spiralling into an existential crisis, Cat Deeley has turned 50.
50. Five-zero. Half a century. A number that seems altogether unreasonable for a woman many of us still associate with Saturday mornings and the golden age of children’s television.
The This Morning presenter is celebrating her milestone birthday on Friday, October 23, and insists there’s no great secret to ageing gracefully.
In fact, Cat has a rather refreshing attitude towards getting older, particularly in an entertainment industry that has historically treated women turning 40 as though they’ve been handed an eviction notice.
‘The fact that you’re here and enjoying life – gaining experiences while being happy and healthy. Wow. That, to me, is amazing,’ the mother-of-two told Grazia.
‘We all get older, if we’re lucky – I’m backing my health with science.’
And for anyone hoping Cat might reveal that her youthful appearance is the result of an obscure Swiss laboratory treatment or sleeping upside down in a refrigerated chamber, we’re afraid the answer is considerably less exciting.
It’s yoga, walking, tennis, and a Mediterranean diet.
Devastating news for those of us hoping to achieve eternal youth without making any meaningful changes to our lifestyles.
While living in Los Angeles, Cat enjoyed a daily 20-minute hike in the sunshine, and since returning to Britain, where sunshine is more of an occasional promotional event than a reliable weather condition, she’s adapted her routine.
The early starts required for her ITV presenting duties don’t exactly help either.
Instead, Cat practises yoga, something she’s been doing for two decades.
‘I’ve been doing yoga for 20 years and I truly love it,’ she explained. ‘It switches off my brain and helps me breathe.’
She added that she’s ‘no more bendy than the average person’, but that the practice helps quieten her racing thoughts.
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Cat also enjoys playing tennis with her sons Milo, 10, and James, eight, whom she shares with ex-husband Patrick Kielty.
As for her diet, there’s more good news: ‘I like a little bit of everything – predominantly fruits and vegetables and a bit of protein – but I love French bread, red wine and a coffee,’ she said.
And while Cat’s healthy habits might help explain her enviable energy levels, she evidently hasn’t lost her appetite for having fun.
Earlier this summer, she delighted fans by mowing her lawn in a black bikini, accompanied by Chamillionaire’s Ridin’ and the sort of carefree confidence most of us can only dream of possessing while doing household chores.
She’s also been enjoying a new romance following her split from Kielty, having been spotted getting cosy with movie executive Charlie Coleman at Lewis Capaldi’s BST Hyde Park show in July.