ITV bosses reportedly ordered Cat Deeley to apologise after she made a seizure “joke” on This Morning this week. The 47-year-old sparked fury with viewers during Monday’s show and was also criticised by a charity, The Epilepsy Society.
During Monday’s installment, Cat poked fun at her own dance moves as she moved to the soundtrack, All About That Bass. She later quipped that she looked like she was having a seizure.
According to Mail Online, bosses on This Morning are “desperate to avoid any more controversy”. An insider told the publication that Cat was “ordered to apologise” less than 24 hours after she made the joke.
They said: “This Morning are so worried about offending anybody they asked Cat to apologise, hoping that would be the end of the matter. It’s not something she suggested, but understood the decision.
“The show is desperate to avoid any controversy after what’s happened over the past two years. But there is a feeling behind the scenes the apology wasn’t overly necessary.”
ITV and a representative of Cat Deeley have been contacted for comment by Express Online.
Fans hit out over Cat being forced to apologise, with some people saying that “British humour is doomed” as she was only making a playful comment.
One person moaned on X: “She was making fun of herself and not people that have seizures. Sometimes we need to be less critical. It was clearly a joke on herself.”
A second person commented: “I did think it was the wrong thing for her to say. I reckon she didn’t mean any harm, bad mistake.” A third typed: “The British sense of humour is doomed! Get a grip.”
Cat and Ben Shephard made theit debut on Monday March 11 as the new official hosts of the ITV daytime programme. They replaced Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby who departed the show last year.
After Holly and Phillip’s departures, a host of different presenters were tested on This Morning over a long period of time. The likes of Rylan Clark, Alison Hammond, Rochelle Humes and Craig Doyle were all considered for the role.
This Morning airs on ITV and ITVX at 10am on weekdays.