This Morning’s Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard hit back at feud rumours after ratings slump
BEN Shephard and Cat Deeley have shut down speculation that they’re ‘secretly feuding behind the scenes’ – saying they ‘can’t believe how well they get on’.
The This Morning duo took over the reins of the ITV daytime staple in March this year, but since fans have become convinced they don’t get on – with ‘heated on-screen moments’ and awkward chats providing ‘clues’ to viewers.
However, ahead of their TV return on 2 September, Cat and Ben are eager to put them to bed, and in a new chat they’ve heaped praise on each other and their work so far.
Speaking to the Mail On Sunday, Ben said of co-star Cat: “We are so similar; the same things make us laugh. She’s quick, witty and smart and loves a bit of slapstick.
“I can’t get my head around how easy she is. She’s the first to laugh and take the mickey out of herself, which is a hugely important quality.”
“We talk about this all the time. I can’t believe how well we get on,” added Cat.
Since taking over the helm of the flagship show, This Morning has fallen into a ratings slump.
Their first two months saw viewership drop from a million 589,000 – with an average of just 486,000 tuning in.
Meanwhile, BBC1 rival Morning Live had solid figures between one million to 1.4million.
They also came under fire for a joke Cat made about her dancing, which she compared to “a seizure”.
The flippant remark sparked outrage from viewers who either suffer from seizures themselves, or have loved ones who have them.
She later made an apology live on air, saying she “didn’t mean to cause any upset”.
But the pair have insisted the continuing scrutiny about their on-screen partnership doesn’t bother them.
Ben said: “I can’t tell you how unaffected Cat is by the scrutiny, she doesn’t look at any of it.
“I’ll send her the headlines of the day, the ones about me telling her to shut up or fleeing out of the studio.”
“We’ve never talked about it. And the way This Morning is consumed is across a massive platform,” he added.
“How many eyeballs are on your social media, for example?” added Cat.
“It’s something like four million people.”
“All I know is it’s a pleasure to work with this chap here,” Cat concluded, with Ben joking they had “struck really lucky”.