Cat Deeley ‘rejects’ This Morning job as bosses left ‘pulling their hair out’

This Morning has been thrown into chaos once more after Cat Deeley reportedly turned down an offer to permanently host the ITV show.

The blonde bombshell, 47, was set to replace former host Holly Willoughby following her exit back in October after 14 years on the show. Her exit came months after her former co-host Phillip Schofield left the show in May when he admitted to an affair with a younger male colleague on the show.

It comes after TV bosses announced their decision to have Ben Shephard and Cat step in as replacements for Phil and Holly. Executives have been on the hunt for the new faces of the daytime show since the pair left the show this year.

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Since then, a rotation of stars has presented the show while ITV bosses hunt for the next full-time hosts. Alison Hammond, Josie Gibson, Emma Willis, Christine Lampard, Rylan Clark and Dermot O’Leary were just some of the stars who to host the show over the year.

Now, it is understood ITV bosses were “gutted” after Cat chose to return to America to host So You Think You Can Dance instead of picking up presenting duties on the daytime show. She was one of the many guest hosts to become a huge hit with viewers last month.

So You Think You Can Dance is fronted by the mum-of-two back in 2005. It was due to return to screens more than three years ago but production was halted due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The program returned with a bang earlier this month. Speaking to MailOnline, a source claimed ITV bosses were “pulling their hair out” from the stress.

They told the publication: “The relaunch date was supposed to be in January but that is no way going to happen now. Cat was the answer.

“She would have been an absolute triumph, but they just couldn’t make it work. Now, it is a case of back to the drawing board to decide a new plan of action.”

Daily Star has reached out to ITV for a comment. Before it was reported that Cat had turned down the presenting gig, news of her eye-watering pay cheque hit the headlines.

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According to reports, Ben and Cat would have earned a staggering £555,000 per annum in the position. However, the impressive salary still pales in comparison to their predecessors, who were reported to be paid up to £700,000 a year before their departures.

Meanwhile, the doting mum earned around £43,000 per episode for fronting So You Think You Can Dance across the pond. The TC star has hosted the show for 16 years but remained tight-lipped about her future in Los Angeles.

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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk