This Morning's Cat Deeley apologises after backlash for on-air seizure 'joke'
This Morning's Cat Deeley has apologised following a backlash after appearing to make a 'joke' about seizures on-air.
During yesterday's (June 17) edition of the ITV daytime show, presenter Cat Deeley was seen dancing along to a Meghan Trainor song ahead of an interview with the singer.
"Nothing to see here," Cat said as the show came back from a break, her co-star Ben Shephard asking: "You alright?"
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"Yeah I'm fine, just having a seizure," Cat then said.
At the start of today's programme, she issued an apology, saying: "First of all, 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, I'm very sorry."
"It would never be our intention, would it?" her co-host Ben Shephard said, and Cat replied to state that her remark "didn't come from that place at all".
Cat's remarks on Monday received criticism online, including from charity the Epilepsy Society, who reposted the clip on X (formerly Twitter) and wrote: "Seizures are no laughing matter for people with #epilepsy @catdeeley.
"Please do better and educate yourselves about this difficult and poorly understood condition, @thismorning."
Epilepsy is a neurological condition affecting the brain and nervous system, and causes seizures – sudden bursts of electrical activity in the brain.
There are over 40 different types of seizure, and the Epilepsy Society's information pages state that "not all of them are physical which is why epilepsy can also be an invisible condition".
The charity's mission is to transform the lives of those living with epilepsy "through world-leading research, advocacy and care".
If you're going to talk about seizures, it'd be more helpful to share our simple first aid advice, Calm, Cushion, Call #ThisMorning 💜@thismorning @catdeeley https://t.co/wLr0vEOwRA pic.twitter.com/r26nLz48BY
— Epilepsy Society (@epilepsysociety) June 17, 2024
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In a longer statement, the charity's chief executive Clare Pelham said (via Metro): "At the Epilepsy Society we do not wish to become some sort of grim 'thought police' patrolling the borders of acceptable language.
"We understand that all of us – even professional broadcasters – make impromptu remarks that we regret. And we are sure that Cat did not intend to be unkind.
"But one of the biggest challenges that the 1 in 100 people with epilepsy face is everyday stigma. People literally walking by on the other side of the road when they see us having a seizure. Or worse, sometimes shouting abuse."
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Pelham further revealed that many had been in touch with the charity "to say how disappointed they were" that the show didn't "do better to show leadership by raising awareness of our poorly understood condition".
"We would love to see Cat make amends by taking 3 minutes to explain seizure first aid to This Morning viewers," she continued. "It's really simple: Calm, Cushion, Call. Now that would be something to dance about!"
The 'Calm, Cushion, Call' advice referenced in Pelham's statement if someone is having a seizure is to "stay calm and take control of the situation, cushion their head with something soft, [and] call an ambulance".
Digital Spy has also reached out to ITV for comment.
This Morning airs weekdays at 10am on ITV.
For more information about Epilepsy, visit the Epilepsy Society.
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