CAT Deeley has said that she moved back to the UK from California after a “terrifying” mall shooting left her husband and son “shaken”.
The 43-year-old TV presenter has revealed that part of the reason why she wanted to leave the golden state was that her husband Patrick Kielty and their eldest son Milo were caught up in a mall shooting.
In an interview with You magazine, Cat said Patrick, 49, and Milo, 4, were shopping in the Century City Mall in Los Angeles when FBI agents announced there was a shooter on the loose.
She said: “I got a call from Paddy, saying, ‘They’re taking us out through the fire exits but nobody can get to their car. If we walk to a junction, can you come and get us?’
“He wanted to keep Milo calm, so I didn’t understand the enormity of what was happening.
“As I was driving I began to see helicopters, news vans, firemen and SWAT [armed police response] squads.
“It makes me go funny now. It was terrifying… Paddy was shaken by it, more than Milo, who was hot and cranky but didn’t properly understand.”
Cat feels happy to be home after swapping her mansion in Los Angeles for a flat in north London.
The Sun exclusively revealed last month that Cat, Patrick, Milo and youngest son James, 2, had put their 4-bed mansion with a desirable 91210 zip code on the market for a whopping $4,995,000.
A source close to Cat told The Sun: “She still has multiple projects in the works in the US and will be here and there for work, but she will be based in Britain for now.”
In her interview with You magazine, Cat added that the risk of a shooting had also unnerved when looking at school for Milo.
She said: “There was a moment when I was with a friend looking at potential schools for Milo and we had to ask the question nobody wants to ‘What do you do if there is a live shooter on the premises?’
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“They tell you exactly what would happen, whether the kids would go to a safe room or hide under the desks…
“The danger suddenly becomes a reality.”
The family’s return home means that Milo will now begin school in the UK, while Cat’s parents will now be available to help with childcare.