This Morning’s Cat Deeley on Why She Feels Most Beautiful Off Screen

Image Source: Ella & Jo Beauty

The debate on who would take Holly Willoughby’s seat on the This Morning sofa is finally over. It has been announced that Cat Deeley, current presenter for US show So You Think You Can Dance, will be taking the helm alongside GMB favourite Ben Shepherd on Monday 11 March 2024.

After launching her career alongside Ant and Dec on SMTV Live, Deeley has spent much of the last twenty years across the pond with appearances on UK television happening few and far between. Now, she’s firmly back in the spotlight as she takes the reigns of the popular daytime show.

At 47, she still looks like the twenty-something who used to fill our Saturday mornings with joy, so we had to get the lowdown on her skincare secrets. Before she gets stuck in with 5 AM starts and “This Morning” chatter, POPSUGAR UK grabbed a moment with the presenter to find out what beauty means to her, her career highlights (it involves The White House FYI), and how she keeps her skin in tip-top condition.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

POPSUGAR: What’s the one beauty rule you swear by?

Cat Deeley: Why cleanse once when you can cleanse twice? It’s essential for me, especially if I’ve been working or at an event, wearing a full face of makeup. I love the Ella and Jo Melt The Day Away Cleansing Balm (£36). I put it all over my face and massage it in. I love to use the Brighten and Glow Hydrating Exfoliating Cleanser (£30) after that, just to remove every last trace of makeup. And then I go into my full skincare routine.

PS: When do you feel your most beautiful?

CD: I feel my most beautiful when I’m probably not at my most beautiful but to me, I feel it. It would be as the sun is starting to set on the beach after spending the day with my boys in the sunshine. I’ve got beachy hair, no makeup on, and my skin feels warm. You can smell the sunshine on your skin, and they kind of cuddle into you at the same time. That’s when I feel my best.

PS: What’s been the best beauty tip learnt throughout your career working in TV?

CD: The best beauty tip is basically ‘less is more’. I think women look more beautiful with actually less makeup. But that does mean that you have to really take care of your skin, you have to eat a good diet, and you have to exercise and drink water.

PS: Who is your beauty icon and why?

CD: I actually don’t have one specific beauty icon. For me, it’s always when a woman feels comfortable in her own skin then she is incredibly beautiful and charismatic. When you feel good, you look good, too.

PS: What are the 3 beauty products you can’t live without?

CD: I love an intensive face mask. Ella and Jo Glow Up Enzyme Mask (£34) is my absolute favourite out of the entire range. It plumps up my skin, gets rid of any dry skin cells, and just makes any moisturiser that I use afterwards really sink in. It’s beautiful. I love an eyelash curler; it’s one of my favourite things. It makes me look awake even when I’ve been up half the night with the boys. And some kind of mascara probably.

PS: Have you ever had any beauty or fashion disasters?

CD: There are so many. I’ve had a terrible perm. I had one eyebrow. I then had two very thin eyebrows. I had really short hair that looked like a giant mushroom. I had red hair, dark hair, blonde hair. There is nothing I haven’t done. But I think that’s one of the things when I was talking about women being very comfortable in their own skin. I think you have to go through that to work out what doesn’t work for you and work out what does work for you. And sometimes I feel incredibly boring, but this works for me.

PS: And finally, tell us one career highlight?

CD: One highlight that is definitely up there is from when Barack Obama was president. His daughters used to love the US show “So You Think You Can Dance”. When Michelle Obama did her “Move Your Body” campaign, she wanted to get dancers from the show involved. So, we were actually invited to the White House for the Easter Egg Roll and I interviewed Michelle. She knew every single dancer’s name and she performed onstage with them. She was absolutely everything you wanted her to be and more.

Cat Deeley is an ambassador for Ella and Jo Beauty.