What Cat Deeley at 50 teaches us about quiet self-assurance as you get older

Cat Deeley has always been one of my favourite celebrities. There’s a lot to love about her, but my soft spot largely comes from hearing another brummy. I’m a Birmingham girl born and bred, and our accent (and city) always seems to be the butt of the joke. I love that Cat, despite having worked and lived across the world, hasn’t neutralised her voice in any way. It feels like home to switch on This Morning and see her gently chatting away with her guests.

Her gentleness is another thing that really appeals to me. We’re all glued to our phones, let’s be honest, and I feel like everything we look at these days is screaming at us. How many times have you clicked an inflammatory clickbait article, or fallen down a rabbit hole of TikTok videos with a daunting hook? “This one thing is ruining your skin. 10 ways your diet is aging you.” Leave me alone! Cat, by contrast, is so patient when she interviews people, and her output is calming and inviting. She’s not scrambling over them to be heard, instead allowing people space and time to share their story in a way that feels comfortable.

Speaking of clickbait, despite much interest in her day-to-day life, Cat has always been admirably private. From dating updates to the news of her recent divorce, she’s someone that keeps a firm private life boundary regardless of what is being speculated. There is something so chic about truly not worrying what anyone else may be thinking or saying, and it’s a lesson we could all do well to remember.

Cat feels like the total opposite of the loudness that the world rewards today. Aside from her playful approach to clothing (I never quite know what she’s going to be wearing on that couch at 10am and I love her for it), she’s someone that harnesses deep power in simply being grounded. Her warmth comes from the way she listens and asks mindful questions. To me this is such a mark of quiet confidence; it takes so much more self-assurance to be this kind of person, one that doesn’t feel the need to drive every eye towards themselves. 

Despite her cool, calm demeanour, she’s been part of some of the most striking pop culture moments of modern times. She presented Lady Gaga with her first ever BRIT Award, and even once iconically screamed ‘f*cking shut up’ at the audience when they wouldn’t stop talking. (The latter was actually part of Peter Kay’s 2008 comedy skit, Britain’s Got the Pop Factor… and Possibly a New Celebrity Jesus Christ Soapstar Superstar Strictly On Ice, though some viewers missed the nuance of the joke and it has led to much amusement ever since.)

Sometimes we contemplate big changes in our lives, and Deeley’s career serves a wonderful reminder that you should never be afraid to charter new territory. In her early days, a generation of us grew up watching her on breakfast TV, a national treasure alongside Ant and Dec on SM:TV each Saturday. 

Following years of success on channels like MTV and ITV, she made a new life and home in the US, earning five Emmy Award nominations for her work on So You Think You Can Dance? 

Now, she’s embarking upon her second act here in the UK and has become a familiar friendly face alongside Ben Shepherd on This Morning. 

At many points Cat has had to make an enormous change to pursue her next step, and yet every one of them has transpired to be a great one.

With her trademark thick, long hair and understated style, Cat has always been something of a beauty icon. She worked with celebrity makeup artist Amanda Grossman to make her own fragrance oil, E11even, and has recently joined Gold Collagen Forte Liquid as their new face. Speaking about the collagen she takes every day, she said “I have zero interest in trying to look anything other than the best, freshest version of myself as I am.”

This is what it boils down to for me. Cat is quite simply proud of who she is and doesn’t have anything to prove to anybody. As someone who reaches endless women every day on morning TV, I don’t think we could wish for a better 50+ role model.

There’s huge power in women across the country seeing themselves represented. Hearing a local accent is an invitation to women outside of the capital to follow their dreams. I live in Birmingham and, believe me, I feel the impact of that on my career. The majority of my working life is centred in London, and it’s hard not being able to be as present as I would like to be. But I hear Cat’s voice (and, of course, that of Alison Hammond), and it reminds me that I can still achieve my dreams whatever my postcode.

We might not know what she had for breakfast and she might not be the loudest person at the table, but to me Cat Deeley is the chicest. Happy 50th birthday to the woman that shows us that the most beautiful thing you canever be is simply yourself.