Catherine Elizabeth "Cat" Deeley (born 23 October 1976) is an English disc jockey, television presenter and former fashion model, who at 21 co-hosted the children's series SMTV Live, alongside Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly. She also hosted Stars in their Eyes from 2004 until 2006, and So You Think You Can Dance since its second series in 2006.

Early life

The elder of two children, born in Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, Great Britain, United Kingdom, Deeley attended Grove Vale Infant School in Great Barr, Birmingham, followed by Dartmouth High School, where she played clarinet in the Sandwell Youth Concert Band. She continued her education at Bishop Vesey's Grammar School's Sixth Form. After nine A-grade GCSEs and four A-levels, Deeley became a fashion model. Prior to this, she entered a regional BBC competition called The Clothes Show, where she made it to the finals. Deeley signed with the Storm modelling agency. She shortened her first name to Cat because there were other Storm models named Catherine.

Television career

Deeley's first television appearance was in 1994 as a model on the British TV Series Kilroy.

Deeley left modelling after two years and became an MTV UK presenter in 1997, usually with Edith Bowman.

From 1998 until 2002, she was host with Ant & Dec on the Saturday morning children's programme SMTV Live and hosted its spin-off programmes CD:UK (1998 -2005) and CD:UK Hotshots. In 2001, she won a Children's BAFTA award for best presenter and appeared in an episode of the BBC's Happiness. In 2002, Deeley appeared in a television advert for Marks and Spencer.

Other programmes she hosted include The Record of the Year, Fame Academy, The 2004 BRIT Awards and Stars in Their Eyes, as well as a weekly broadcast on London's Capital FM and BBC Choice series Roadtripping both with former MTV colleague Edith Bowman. In 2003 she became patron of Great Ormond Street Hospital, and in 2005 she played herself in an episode of Little Britain and provided the voice of "Loretta Geargrinder" in the UK version of the film Robots, replacing Natasha Lyonne

Since 2006, she began the second series of American reality show So You Think You Can Dance, replacing Lauren Sanchez, who was pregnant. Deeley interviewed Kylie Minogue for a television special which was broadcast in the United Kingdom on Sky One on 16 July 2006, in Australia on Channel Nine on 17 July 2006 and BBC America on 9 September 2006.

Deeley was guest reporter on NBC's Tonight Show. She has presented Fox's New Year's Eve special from Times Square in 2006 and 2007.

She is an entertainment contributor for ABC News, covering awards ceremonies including the Golden Globes and the Grammy and Academy Awards.

In 2007, she presented the UK coverage of the sixth series of American Idol for ITV2. She filmed segments and interviews with guests and eliminated contestants for UK audiences that were shown just before and after advertising breaks. However, this was not popular with viewers who saw Deeley's role as 'unnecessary'. She did not return for the seventh series American Idol in 2008.