Patrick Kielty has opened up about the devastating impact of losing both his parents — one to political violence and the other to natural causes — as his marriage to Cat Deeley comes to a painful end after 12 years.
The TV presenter and comedian was just 16 when his father, Jack Kielty, was gunned down by loyalist paramilitaries in 1988. The Ulster Freedom Fighters wrongly believed Jack was an IRA member and murdered him in cold blood at his office after he refused to pay protection money.
“I thought I was being summoned to the headteacher’s office for putting up Comic Relief posters,” Patrick once recalled. “Instead, I was told my dad had been shot. I asked, ‘Is he dead?’ and they said ‘yes’.”
Later, the Royal Ulster Constabulary confirmed it was a case of mistaken identity. But the trauma scarred Patrick for life. “I can’t forgive the people who killed my dad. But hugging them and telling them it’s OK won’t change anything either.”
In the BBC documentary My Dad, the Peace Deal and Me, Patrick revealed that after the murder, the IRA tried to recruit him and his brothers for revenge. “They were told exactly where to go,” he said, stressing his father “died for nothing.”
His mother Mary never remarried and raised Patrick and his two brothers alone. She passed away in March this year at the age of 80. Patrick, visibly heartbroken, carried her coffin at the funeral.
The final blow came this week as Patrick and Cat Deeley announced their separation. Speculation had already swirled after Cat was noticeably absent from Mary’s funeral. It was later revealed she stayed home to care for their sons Milo, 9, and James, 7.
Despite the grief and heartbreak that has followed Patrick through life, he has always praised his mother’s strength: “My dad was a brave man, but my mum was the one who held us together.”
