Ben Shephard has made a joke at the expense of his future co-presenter Cat Deeley’s husband Patrick Kielty ahead of the couple’s This Morning launch on Monday.
The presenter, 49, and Cat, 47, make their debut as permanent hosts of ITV’s This Morning on March 11, eventually replacing Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby.
While Ben and Cat had never worked together before, they met during ITV’s SoccerAid campaign in 2012, along with Patrick, 53.
Talking with him MirrorWriting in We Love TV magazine, Ben said: “We’ve never been lucky enough to work together before.” However, I have received many punishments against her husband and he has yet to save one.
Ben played as a striker and Patrick as a goalkeeper for the opposing teams in the SoccerAid match, and Patrick was unable to save Ben’s shots.
Ben Shephard, 49, has made a joke at the expense of his future co-presenter Cat Deeley’s husband, 47, Patrick Kielty, 53, ahead of the couple’s This Morning launch on Monday.
The presenter and Cat (pictured with Patrick) make their debut as permanent hosts of ITV’s This Morning on March 11, eventually replacing Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby.
Cat was the host of the game. ben He continued: ‘I’m a big fan of Cat’s; she is just a brilliant broadcaster. “I loved waking up with her (on SM:TV Live), so the opportunity to work together is really fun.”
Ben and Cat were officially introduced as the new permanent faces of This Morning on 16 February.
Patrick swooned over his wife Cat on Instagram on Friday before the debut, saying: “If there’s anyone in the world made for This Morning, it’s this human.”
Cat had reportedly been struggling to choose between the breakfast show and her £43,000-per-episode US presenting gig on So You Think You Can Dance.
Ben had his last show on GMB on February 23, leaving his ‘on-screen wife’ Kate Garraway after almost 20 years.
He said at the time: “One of the most difficult decisions, of course, is knowing that my mornings with Kate, my on-screen wife of almost 20 years, are coming to an end.”
The couple had been in talks for a few months before the announcement.
It had been claimed that he finally won over Cat with a lucrative deal, but ITV insiders denied the claims.
Former Good Morning Britain star Ben had his last show on February 23 and is leaving his ‘onscreen wife’ Kate Garraway after almost 20 years.
Instead, they insisted that it was the ability to spend more time with family, during a big-money payday, that finally sealed the deal.
The news was confirmed through a personalized promo on This Morning’s Twitter, featuring only Ben.
He walked down the familiar This Morning production hallway and placed a new photo of Cat on the wall, before turning to the camera as the photo came to life.
Cat said: ‘This Morning is a national institution. Every time they broadcast it, it’s like inviting your friends: funny, smart, silly, sincere, informative and happy, like all the best friends!…
‘This morning is and always will be the viewer’s program. “Ben and I know how much people love it and, with the help of an incredible team of people, we will do everything we can to take care of it.”
Ben added: “It really feels like a very special moment for Cat and I to be part of the next episode of This Morning.” It’s an honor to be trusted with the reins, to join Alison and Dermot and the entire team who work on and off screen and do great work…
‘For the last ten years I’ve been waking up to our ITV daytime audience on GMB and now I’m looking forward to spending time with Cat…
“Welcoming viewers home after their school run or morning routines, with a cup of tea and a mix of everything that makes This Morning so loved.”