The real reason Cat Deeley missed her mother-in-law’s funeral has been revealed as her grief-stricken husband Patrick Kielty carried his beloved mother’s coffin

Cat Deeley didn’t attend her mother-in-law’s funeral as her husband Patrick Kielty bravely went without her.

The This Morning host, 48, was notably absent from the service on Monday in County Down, Northern Ireland and now the heartbreaking reason why has been revealed. Greif-stricken Patrick, 54, bid his beloved mother, Mary Kielty, a final farewell as he carried her coffin to her funeral.

Hundreds turned out to line the streets as those close to Mary and her family came together for a ceremony at the Church of the Sacred Heart in Dundrum. Patrick wore a grey suit and joined other pallbearers as he carried his mother’s coffin into the church. Mary was reportedly in her 80s at the time of her death – and a notice about her passing described her as a “loving mother” and “devoted grandmother”.

The notice added that she “will be sadly missed and lovingly remembered by her entire family circle, neighbours and friends”. Mary was the proud mother of Patrick along with his brothers John and Cahal. Patrick’s wife Cat missed the emotional send off at 1pm yesterday. The couple wed in 2012 and share two children – sons Milo, nine, and James, six.

Cat Deeley missed her mother-in-law’s funeral on Monday

Cat remained at home to care for their young sons as the family processed their grief. A spokesperson told The Mirror: “Cat remained at home to be there for her two young children before and after school on this very sad day.” Patrick’s father, Jack Keilty, had died in 1988 amid the Troubles in Northern Ireland – leaving Mary to raise Patrick and his two brothers.

While Patrick and Cat have high-profile careers as TV presenters, Mary was happy to be out of the spotlight. In 2012 she joined Patrick to help him run with the Olympic torch ahead of the the London Games that year. Patrick has helmed shows for ITV, the BBC, Channel 4 and America’s ABC, but it wasn’t until 2023 that he landed a high-profile job in Ireland when he was announced as the host of the Late Late show.

Patrick has been left heartbroken by the death of his mother, Mary ( 
Image:
PA

Upon taking on the role, Patrick quipped: “Mary Kielty is secretly delighted but not making any real public statements.” Proving he has always been a mother’s boy, Patrick also shared during a recent appearance at the Amgen Irish Open, that Mary still offered to do his laundry for him. He said: “I think Irish mummies never really understand what age their youngsters actually are. So you do get a lot of offers like ‘Do you have any washing’ and I would be like ‘Well no, no that’s done, I’m 53 mum.”

Cat has been hosting This Morning since last year following the departures of both Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby. However, Cat said she would not hesitate to quit working on the long-running daytime ITV show if it began to have an impact on her health. Speaking to Grazia magazine, she said: “I don’t feel particularly vulnerable [taking over from Holly and Phil]. And I’d always think about my own mental health. If something was affecting me, or I hated going into work, I’d walk away. It’s more important that I enjoy what I do.”