This Morning host apologises for seizure joke

This Morning presenter Cat Deeley has apologised to viewers after she joked about having a seizure on Monday’s show.

Deeley drew criticism after co-host Ben Shephard asked if she was alright after she began dancing on the ITV programme, and she responded: “I’m fine, I’m just having a seizure.”

The Epilepsy Society charity wrote on X: “Seizures are no laughing matter for people with #epilepsy @catdeeley. Please do better and educate yourselves about this difficult and poorly understood condition, @thismorning.”

On Tuesday, Deeley said during the start of the show: “I just wanted to apologise to anyone who was offended yesterday when I made a light-hearted comment about my dancing style.

“It really wasn’t supposed to cause any upset to anybody. But I can see why that might have been the case. So I do apologise and am very sorry for the upset.”

Shepherd added: “It would never have been our intention.”

Deeley said: “It didn’t come from that place at all.”

Charity Young Epilepsy had also taken issue with Deeley’s comments.

Posting on X, they wrote: “We’re extremely disappointed to hear @catdeeley on @ThisMorning making a joke of seizures. There are more than 100,000 children and young people who live with epilepsy in the UK.

“Seizures significantly impact their life – they are not something to be ridiculed or joked about.”

Deeley and Shephard were made the permanent replacements for Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby, who left the troubled show in May and October 2024 respectively.

Schofield left after reports of a rift with Willoughby. A week later, he admitted lying about an affair with a younger colleague.

Willoughby quit “for me and my family” five months later.

Epilepsy is a condition that affects the brain, causing repeated seizures.

A seizure happens when there is a sudden burst of intense electrical activity in the brain, which disrupts the way the brain normally works.

There are many different types of epilepsy and it can start at any age.

Some types last for a limited amount of time while for others, epilepsy can be a life-long condition.

Source: Epilepsy Action