Patrick Kielty’s last gushing post about his wife Cat Deeley was shared in February 2024 when she was announced as the new permanent presenter of This Morning alongside Ben Shepherd.

It would become the very last post shared about his wife before she erased all trace of him on her own Instagram account after the former couple announced their marriage split on Tuesday in a shock statement.

The former couple met while hosting BBC’s Fame Academy together in 2002, but only made their first public appearance as a couple nine years later in 2011. They wed a year later in September 2012 at a ceremony in Rome and have two children together.

They said in a joint statement to the PA news agency: “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.”

Patrick Kielty and Cat Deeley were married in 2012 (Image: PA Archive)

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Northern Irish presenter Patrick, 54, is the host of RTE talk show The Late Late Show, having taken over from Ryan Tubridy in 2023.

When Cat, 48, was officially announced as the new presenter of This Morning, taking over the reigns from Holly Willoughby, Patrick took to Instagram to celebrate his ‘wonderful’ wife as he listed all of the great and admirable attributes about Cat.

In the lengthy caption alongside a montage of video clips of Cat at home with their children and messing around, Patrick wrote: “I didn’t know what a morning person actually was until I met this woman. She gets up every day with a smile on her face.

Patrick last posted about Cat on his Instagram in February 2024(Image: Instagram)

“A 5.30am, whistling in the shower, smile on her face. Then downs two coffees, and gives you the look. The “what the f*€K’s wrong with you, let’s do this” look.

“It’s not a pretend smile. And it’s not just some mornings. It’s every morning. Which is bloody difficult cos she’s married to me. I should also mention she likes a chat. To anyone. About anything. Anywhere.

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“If there’s anyone in the world made for a show called @thismorning, it’s this human. Strap yourself in Ben Shepherd. And welcome to my world. We couldn’t be prouder of you Cat, Go get ‘em Mama.”

Patrick shared a montage of pictures and videos of Cat(Image: Instagram)

Patrick doesn’t appear to have shared a post about Cat since, and she was appeared to have wiped all trace of him from her Instagram.

The last time Cat referenced Patrick on her Instagram was in October 2023 with an unusual 90s-themed slideshow of the pair of them. She wrote: “Slightly terrifying but obsessed.”

The former married couple were also seemingly living separate lives in the build-up to the surprise announcement. Prior to the announcement the pair had not been pictured together in public in over a year.

The former couple were last pictured together in September 2023(Image: Getty Images)

The last snap of Patrick and Cat side by side was taken in 2023. They appeared happy in the image as they attended the Ballywalter London premiere at The May Fair Hotel on September 18, 2023.

In March this year, Cat also missed husband Patrick’s mum’s funeral in Northern Ireland. Heartbreaking pictures showed a grief-stricken Patrick carrying her coffin through the streets.

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 and Cat have split after 13 years of marriage

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

Cat also failed to send Patrick a public Father’s Day message last month