Cat Deeley issues apology after risking Ofcom row with 'appalling' seizure joke: 'I am very sorry!'
Cat Deeley (right) has apologised to This Morning viewers for her 'seizure' joke
ITV
Cat Deeley has apologised after offending ITV viewers with a joke in which she quipped she was "having a seizure".
The presenter was dancing on This Morning alongside co-host Ben Shephard on Monday morning when she made the joke after he'd questioned her moves.
What followed was an onslaught of disgruntled viewers demanding an apology, branding Deeley's remarks as "disgraceful", "uneducated" and "appalling".
On Tuesday, Deeley addressed the furore head-on and told viewers: "First of all, I just wanted to apologise to anyone who was offended yesterday when I made a light-hearted comment about my dancing style.
"It really wasn’t supposed to cause any upset to anybody, but I can see why that might have been the case, so I do apologise. I'm very sorry.
"It didn't come from that place at all," she signed off.
Seizures are no laughing matter for people with #epilepsy @catdeeley.
— Epilepsy Society (@epilepsysociety) June 17, 2024
Please do better and educated yourselves about this difficult and poorly understood condition, @thismorning 💜 pic.twitter.com/txEOo0zeyC
After she apologised, several viewers jumped to her defence to show their appreciation for her addressing the incident.
"Hats off to @catdeeley for her apology on @thismorning. Now everyone needs to lay off. We all make mistakes. Keep smiling #catdeeley #thismorning," one fan defended.
A second echoed: "I thought the apology from @catdeeley on @thismorning regarding her seizure comment yesterday was truly genuine. I do hope now that it will stop the mob from constantly attacking her character. Jury by social media can go too far and we’ve seen that in the past… #ThisMorning."
Much of the anger aimed towards Deeley after Monday's show came after clips of her joke circulated on social media.
Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley were back presenting This Morning on Tuesday
ITV
The Epilepsy Society reposted the moment from a viewer who'd recorded it at home and penned: "Seizures are no laughing matter for people with #epilepsy @catdeeley.
"Please do better and educate yourselves about this difficult and poorly understood condition, @thismorning."
Before long, the replies were flooded with similarly angered viewers, including one who fumed: "The true terror of raising a disabled child with epilepsy can't be over stated. You don't have to experience this to understand how horrific joking about it is, it's obvious.
"So very disappointed @catdeeley thought it ok to mock seizures, disability is a protected characteristic."
A second echoed on Monday: "This is heartbreaking to see do know there are many types of seizures and to see you mocking people who have them is very upsetting.
"I have nearly lost my child a few times to seizures and is extremely poorly. Maybe you should do a story on epilepsy to see what goes on."
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ITV This Morning: Cat and Ben took over from Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield earlier this year
ITVMeanwhile a third raged: "I've had seizures for many years and something said like she did should be apologised for. I certainly didn't like it at all. If she had seizures, she wouldn't be saying anything like that."
And a fourth even threatened action with broadcasting regulator Ofcom as they typed: "Absolute shame on you @catdeeley and @thismorning totally appalling in 2024 to be cracking jokes at the disabled. @Ofcom @ITV."
However, Deeley did receive some defence at the time of the incident, including from one fan who replied to the Epilepsy Society's post: "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." (sic)
GB News has contacted ITV for comment.