Cat Deeley moved home after husband and son were caught up in US mall shooting

Cat Deeley has admitted part of the reason she moved back from Los Angeles with her family was due to fears over gun violence in the US.

The TV presenter, 43, has moved back to the UK with her husband Patrick Kielty and their two sons, Milo, four, and James, two, and she has revealed it took them three years to make the transition.

They have been living in sunny California, but Cat has now explained part of the reason they decided to come back was after Patrick and their eldest son Milo were caught up in a terrifying mall shooting.

She now feels relieved to be home after swapping her mansion in Los Angeles for a flat in north London

Speaking to You magazine, Cat said Patrick and Milo were at the Century City Mall in Los Angeles when FBI agents started ordering shoppers to take cover because there was a shooter on the loose.

She said: “They shut down the centre. 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.”

She told the magazine “fear” was part of their decision to move back to the UK.

Cat added she was also unnerved when looking at school for Milo.

She went on: “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?’

“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.”

Cat added that they decided to move at the right time so Milo could start school in the UK, while she’s glad the kids will now be able to spend more time with their grandparents.