Interview: Cat Deeley

Interview: Cat Deeley

The TV presenter on her career and life in LA

Five years after moving Stateside, Cat Deeley is still at the top of her game. Stylist meets her and finds a steely professional behind the smile...

Cat Deeley is “on the corner of Fairfax and Beverly” – that’s somewhere between West Hollywood and Beverly Hills in Los Angeles to you and me. From the other end of a phone line it sounds like a distinctly glamorous place to be, no doubt dazzled by sunshine and fringed by palm trees, were it not for the fact Cat is sitting on carpark tarmac in front of the broadcasting giant CBS’ studios, under a The Price Is Right sign.

“It’s all I dreamed of,” she deadpans, and yet you suspect she may well be serious – after all it’s here that Cat first stepped in as the host of the prime-time talent show, So You Think You Can Dance, which has catapulted her to stratospheric levels of recognition Stateside. Despite initially being a stand-in for its original presenter, Lauren Sánchez, five years on she’s still its host and the show is hitting audiences of nine million.

Her transatlantic trajectory is a rare success story given so many Brits have failed to win America over (Cheryl Cole and Robbie Williams to name a few) but ever modest, Cat credits leaving Britain before she hit saturation point. “If I had just [carried on doing] things in England, I’d be on TV constantly and people would be bored of me.” She reveals she’s had to be savvy, turning down projects (“What you say no to is kind of more important than what you say yes to”) in order to push forward in her career. Contrary to her glossy, straight presenting style, she is something of a risk-taker. “I’ve always had a good dose of ambition and Hollywood has made me more fearless. I think if you feel too safe or secure, you become complacent.”

"If I had stayed in Britain people would be bored of me"

The latter is one thing you can’t accuse Cat of being. Having got her break at 21, quitting modelling to host MTV, she’s worked solidly since, hosting Saturday morning children’s shows SMTV: Live and CD:UK alongside Ant and Dec in 1998, before moving on to Fame Academy and Stars In Their Eyes. Departing in 2006 for the bright lights of Hollywood, she now presents SYTYCD in both America and Britain, and is without doubt the most sought-after British presenter in the US, alongside Piers Morgan (with whom she co-hosted CNN’s coverage of the royal wedding earlier this year). On top of the US version of SYTYCD, the dancing equivalent to American Idol from which she reportedly makes £5m a year, she’s been entertainment correspondent for The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Good Morning America and has presented Fox’s prestigious New Year’s Eve Live for four years in a row from Times Square.

Lately, she’s moved into producing (royal-wedding themed entertainment show, Royally Mad, aired on BBC America in April), proving that she’s not just sunny smiles but a savvy businesswoman too. A firm but fair interviewee, it’s when we get to questions about her love life (her last publicised relationship with actor Jack Huston ended in 2010 after two years together) that you encounter Cat the professional underneath the charming demeanour. Wafting away personal questions with a polite but determined “No, thank you”, she doesn’t want to talk marriage or babies (“I have no idea, I don’t feel any pressure”) and so we focus largely on her career, her rather fabulous-sounding LA lifestyle and her latest project working with close friend, designer Matthew Williamson…

Firstly, tell us about working with Matthew…

Our friendship began when he dressed me for the 2001 Brit Awards. He was like, “Right, have I got a fab frock for you!” and whipped out this concoction of pink tulle with butterflies. Matthew’s like the fairy godmother that every girl needs; he supplies a great dress and tells you not to be home at midnight. It’s been great to finally work together [Cat and Matthew have designed the interiors for the Häagen-Dazs pop-up boutique in London] and perfect timing, because I’m currently doing up my house in LA. Architectural Digest and Elle Decor are my best friends, so I’m in the right frame of mind [laughs].

What have you set in your sights for the house?

I’m having a yoga room put in and a little Zen garden outside. It’s going to be a bit like Alice In Wonderland; there will be fire pits, a pool cabana and a hot tub with an infinity edge. I want to invite people over and have dinners. I think I’ve grown-up a bit.

Does this mean you’re settling permanently in America?

No, definitely not. My flat in Hampstead is still home. When I first came to America I thought, ‘Ah, I’m not going to do anything because I don’t know when I’ll be leaving.’ But cut to season eight [of SYTYCD] and we’re still going strong. I work really hard, so I just thought it was time to create a place here that I love.

"When I go outside to have my morning coffee in LA, I still get excited about having a pool"

Can living in Hollywood still feel surreal at times?

Yes. When I go outside to have my morning coffee, I still get excited about having a pool. I look at it and go, “This is mine” all the time [laughs]. I live in Beverly Hills, so it does make you want to sing the 90210 theme tune.

Do you ever feel homesick?

Not really, I’ve always treated it like a big adventure. I didn’t make a big song and dance about it when I left Britain or ever think I was going for good, because that would be very difficult. I think it’s much better to take the softly, softly approach and I was lucky I had friends who were already here and I’ve got my puggle dog, Lily. We go hiking up and down the canyon near my house together or I get on my horse, Romeo, and go riding in the hills.

Who are your friends in the industry?

Oh, no I’m not going to talk about that, that’s like going to school in your dad’s posh car! There are definitely people within the industry who I know very well, but I wouldn’t name them, that would just be weird.

Your presenting style on So You Think You Can Dance is very slick. Do you ever crave the skits and silliness of your SM:TV years?

I definitely miss the ridiculousness, but I’m quite lucky to have done other stuff with Peter Kay [Cat played herself in his 2008 spoof, Britain’s Got The Pop Factor]. I’ve also recently been filming with Ricky Gervais for his new BBC comedy, Life’s Too Short [airing this summer]. It was such good fun and actually harder to keep a straight face than it was to remember the lines. I’m not very good at lines.

The clever part of presenting is making it look easy and glossy. I want people to look at it and say, “That’s a piece of cake.”

Would you like to do more comedy?

Yes, I like general goofiness. There are people who self edit themselves before they do or say anything, but I’ve never felt that I’ve got to create a character. SYTYCD is live so the gaffes just happen – and I like that.

You’ve talked about giving up presenting and earlier this year you produced your own show. Is this the next step for you?

I like challenging myself and I love anything I have to research. When I’m interviewing someone I’ll collect every bit of information I can on them, so producing, where you’re working on something from scratch, is fascinating for me. I definitely want to do more.

You have four A-levels. Have you ever wanted to go back to education?

I’ll always want to carry on learning, but that’s not to say presenting isn’t a challenge anymore. The clever part of presenting is making it look easy and glossy. I want people to look at it and say, “That’s a piece of cake. She’s having a great time”. In the meantime, I’ve read three scripts and I know what cameras to look at. We’re not curing Third World debt, but it takes work.

On-screen you’re smiley and upbeat. What makes you angry in real life?

I don’t like it when people don’t care about stuff or just scrape by. It irritates me because I don’t do average very well. Everyone can fail at things but you’ve got to give it 100%.

What do you find stimulating outside of work?

I’ve got my eyes open all the time. I love everything from movies and photographs to amazing pieces of music, and learning about wine. My favourite artists are Damien Hirst and Johnny Leo and I recently bought a Chris Anthony artwork of a woman with a dagger behind her back. Maybe that’s my dark side… coming through in art [laughs].

Cat is the face of the Häagen-Dazs Boudoir, which runs until 31 July (facebook.com/haagen-dazs)