Patrick Kielty addressed 'ships passing in night' concern months before Cat Deeley split

Patrick Kielty and Cat Deeley have confirmed that they are parting ways after 13 years of marriage. The news comes following concerns from fans that the couple would struggle with their different schedules when Cat and co-host Ben Shephard took over from Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield on ITV's This Morning.

It has even been claimed that Cat and Patrick were living separate lives before their shock split was announced on Tuesday.

However, back in September last year, comedian Patrick, who fronts RTE's The Late Late Show, which is filmed in Dublin, hit back at the idea that the TV stars were struggling to spend time together, insisting they had developed a routine that worked for them and their two sons, Milo, nine, and James, seven.

READ MORE: Cat Deeley revealed she didn't want to renew wedding vows before Patrick Kielty split

READ MORE: Cat Deeley found moving back to the UK 'really hard' before split from Patrick Kielty

When asked by The Times if the couple were like "ships passing in the night", Patrick denied this “because Cat’s doing her stuff in the morning, she would normally be back just after lunchtime".

The comedian added: “And we’ve got the start of the week and the weekends together, so it’s not ‘Hi/bye’.”

Despite providing a positive outlook on the situation during the interview, Patrick also acknowledged that the couple went through a "tricky" period when Cat had to film So You Think You Can Dance in the US for seven weeks.

He recalled: “There was a moment after Christmas that was tricky, when Cat’s show [So You Think You Can Dance] came back in America, and she had to fly to Atlanta for seven weeks.

"There was a wee bit of a juggle there. But I think with all these things, as long as you have a routine, it doesn’t take as much fizz out of you as some people think.”

Just a few months on from Patrick's comments, he and Cat have announced their separation.

In a joint statement released to the PA news agency, they said: “We have taken the decision to end our marriage and are now separated. There is no other party involved.

“We will continue to be united as loving parents to our children and would therefore kindly ask for our family privacy to be respected. There will be no further comment."

Prior to their unexpected announcement, the couple had moved their family from Los Angeles to London in 2023, and Patrick was commuting to his job on The Late Late Show. It came after living in the States for 15 years.

They hadn't been pictured together in public for over a year, however, and Cat also missed Patrick's mother's funeral back in March.

At the time, a spokesperson told the Mirror that Cat had remained at home to care for their sons, explaining: "Cat remained at home to be there for her two young children before and after school on this very sad day."