Patrick Kielty makes self-deprecating joke on BBC 5 Live return after Cat Deeley split

Cat Deeley and Patrick Kielty announced that they were splitting last month after 13 years of marriage, and the Northern Irish comedian has now returned to the radio

Patrick Kielty has made his radio comeback for the first time since revealing his surprising separation from Cat Deeley – and he couldn’t resist poking fun at “losing out” on a Match of the Day role.

The Northern Irish comic and broadcaster wed the This Morning presenter in Rome back in 2012, with the pair going on to welcome two children together. Nevertheless, their romantic journey has now reached its conclusion, with Patrick addressing listeners during his BBC 5 Live return. Kicking off his programme, he remarked: “It’s lovely to be back. We are coming to you from sunny Belfast and we’ve got Michael Andrew looking after things here.

“We’ve got Sammy and Craig looking after things in London. It takes a village folks to make this show sound so average, but it is not just me who is back… Oh no, what is this? It is a little welcome back letter from the head of the BBC.”

In a tongue-in-cheek moment, the Match of the Day theme tune then began playing, with Patrick reading aloud: “Dear Mr Kielty, thank you so much for your application to be a host on Match of the Day. Unfortunately every other host employed by the BBC is currently working hosting on this show therefore we don’t need your services. Don’t call us, we will call you, Tim Davie.

“Thanks for that Tim, I shouldn’t have read that out on air!”

Match of the Day makes its return this evening following the Premier League’s launch yesterday (August 15), with the presenters stepping in for Gary Linekar being Mark Chapman, Gabby Logan and Kelly Cates.

Cat, 48, and Patrick, 54, meanwhile first crossed paths whilst co-presenting BBC’s Fame Academy back in 2002, though they didn’t make their debut as a romantic pair until 2011.

Patrick, who currently presents The Late Late Show in Ireland, previously revealed on Loose Women how their friendship blossomed into something more.

He explained: “There was a moment, we always used to keep in contact, it was her birthday, and she was in Beverly Hills and I was in Dundrum (County Down).

“And obviously LA are eight hours behind, it was around tea time with her. I texted her happy birthday from a little Irish pub. It was around two-o-clock in the morning, approaching closing time.

“And she said, ‘It is just a shame you are not in LA because I’m having a lunch tomorrow’ – so I said I will be there.

“So I got up at five, jumped on a six-o-clock flight from Ireland, got into Heathrow at seven, and jumped on a 20 to 10 flight, got in at quarter past one, walked into the Beverly Hills Hotel. I said ‘hi’, she fell off the chair, and we have been together ever since.”

However, in a joint statement issued to the PA news agency last month, Cat and Patrick announced: “We have taken the decision to end our marriage and are now separated. There is no other party involved.

“We will continue to be united as loving parents to our children and would therefore kindly ask for our family privacy to be respected.

“There will be no further comment.”