Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard returned to This Morning(Image: ITV)

Cat Deeley shared some exciting family news as she returned to This Morning after a lengthy break.

The TV presenter joined Ben Shephard on the ITV programme on on Monday (September 1) after their summer holiday with the likes of Alison Hammond and Rylan Clark stepping in during recent weeks.

As many children are returning to school today, Cat revealed some changes in her own family as her son joined secondary school.

Ben began by explaining his son Jack, who just finished his A-levels, returned to his junior school to work as a teaching assistant.

Cat then said: “My littlest is starting his new school today, so he’s got to wear a blazer and he’s popped the collar!”

Cat and Patrick split after 12 years of marriage(Image: David Livingston, Getty Images)

Cat shares two sons, Milo, nine, and James, seven, with her ex-husband Patrick Kielty.

The former couple announced their split in July after 12 years of marriage.

The statement read: “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.”

The couple share two children together and released a joint statement(Image: Karwai Tang/WireImage via Getty Images)

Patrick, who hosts The Late Late Show on Ireland’s RTE One Channel after taking over from Ryan Tubridy in 2023, married Cat in an intimate ceremony in Rome in 2012.

They met while presenting Fame Academy in 2003 together, at which time Cat was married to her ex-husband Mark Whelan.

It had been reported that Cat was “anxious” to return to This Morning and wanted to keep her private life out of the spotlight.

“Cat feels anxious ahead of her first day back after announcing the bombshell news of her split during her break,” a source told The Sun.

Cat was said to be “anxious” about her return to This Morning amid the speculation surrounding her personal life and marriage(Image: ITV)

“She has decided NOT to mention the breakdown of her marriage on screen and instead wants to keep the chatty dialogue between her and Ben upbeat and positive for viewers.”

The insider went on to claim Cat was “hurt” by the public reaction to her not attending her mother-in-law’s funeral in March, continuing: “Even people from within Patrick’s family and inner circle who don’t know her well have criticised her for that and made out that it was the reason for the split when that couldn’t be further from the truth.

“Cat is generally a really positive person but it hurts her to have people piling the blame onto her when this is a painful situation for them both.”

Cat and Ben took over hosting This Morning in March 2024(Image: ITV)

Cat and Ben took over hosting This Morning in March 2024, after Phillip Schofield stepped down from all his ITV projects following his “unwise but not illegal” affair being exposed and Holly Willoughby exited months later over personal reasons.

When she was announced as the new host, Cat said in a statement: “This Morning is a national institution. Whenever it’s on, it’s like having your friends over – funny, smart, silly, heartfelt, informative and joyful – like all the greatest friendships.

“This Morning is and always will be the viewer’s show. Ben and I both know how much people love it, and with the help of an amazing team of people, we’re going to do our best to take care of it.”