Cat Deeley has issued a statement via her team to address the fact that she missed her mother-in-law’s funeral on Monday afternoon.
The This Morning host, 48, was notably absent as husband Patrick Kielty’s late mother Mary was laid to rest on Monday in County Down.
Despite the This Morning roster including Alison Hammond, Josie Gibson, and Rochelle Humes being available to stand in, Deeley presented Monday’s show from the show’s London studio.
Meanwhile, Kielty, 54, looked bereft as he carried his mother’s coffin to the Church of the Sacred Heart in his Northern Irish hometown of Dundrum.
Patrick Kielty (left) was one of the pallbearers at his mother’s funeral
PA
Explaining the reasons behind her absence from the ceremony, a spokesperson for the presenter confirmed it was down to childcare.
They told MailOnline: “Cat remained at home to be there for her two young children before and after school on this very sad day.”
Mary Kielty, who was 84, passed away at her home in the village of Dundrum on Saturday.
A death notice said she “will be sadly missed and lovingly remembered by her entire family circle, neighbours and friends”.
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Patrick Kielty attended his mother’s funeral without his wife by his side
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Kielty wore a dark grey suit with a white tie as he laid his mother to rest alongside his brothers John and Cahal.
His mother’s life was marked by resilience following the death of her husband Jack, who was shot dead by the Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF) in 1988.
Parish priest Robert Fleck told mourners that Mrs Kielty had had “a difficult life”.
“It left its impact not only on the close family and friends, but also on the wider community,” he said.
After her husband’s murder, Mary was left to raise three sons aged 18 and under alone. She never remarried after becoming widowed at the age of 46.
In the eulogy, Mary’s eldest son John spoke about their “brilliant” childhood in the 1970s despite it being associated with “the darkest days” of the Troubles.
“Mary’s life changed in 1988 when daddy was killed. Left with three sons aged 18 and under, it was a real bad hand of cards,” he said.
“She got a job in the school, got involved in the football club. She even managed to become chairperson and she got the three of us reared.”
John noted that her grandchildren in the 1990s gave her “a new lease of life”.
Born in 1940, Mary was the youngest of four sisters and a brother, and grew up on a farm near Annaclone.
Patrick Kielty and Cat Deeley have been married since 2012
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She met her future husband Jack at a showband dance in Hilltown, where his job was to book the bands.
“They enjoyed a courtship based on dancing all over Ireland,” before marrying in 1968 and having three sons.
Mary was remembered for her good sense of humour, with Canon Fleck noting: “Mary had a good sense of humour, her family have thrived on this gift.”
Comedian and presenter Kielty gave the second reading at the funeral mass.
Among those attending were RTÉ director general Kevin Bakhurst and other RTÉ representatives. North Belfast priest Gary Donegan, an advocate for peace and reconciliation, was also present.
