Cat Deeley sorry for seizure joke on This Morning

Cat Deeley began presenting This Morning in March alongside Ben Shephard

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 all right 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.”

'Extremely disappointed'

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 following Monday's This Morning episode, 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."

On Tuesday, Clare Pelham, chief executive at the Epilepsy Society said: “I would like to thank Cat Deeley for her apology on This Morning. We understand that it is difficult on live TV for every remark to be well-chosen and well-expressed.

“We all make mistakes and often something good can come from a mistake. We hope that will be the case at This Morning. There is so much that they could do to improve understanding of seizures and the right way for the public to respond to them.

"This is particularly important for people with epilepsy who live with stigma every day. We are incredibly grateful when the broadcast channels, including This Morning, take time and trouble to highlight the challenges of living with epilepsy. “

Deeley and Shephard were made the permanent replacements for Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby, who left the troubled show in May and October 2023 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.

What is epilepsy?

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