Cat Deeley

Cat Deeley won the hearts of millions of viewers with her easygoing attitude and charisma as the host of one of network television's biggest reality competition shows, "So You Think You Can Dance?" (Fox, 2005- ). The former model launched her career in her native England as a VJ for MTV and host of several children's variety programs. After earning raves from across the pond, Deeley set her sights on making it big on American soil. In 2006, Deeley was tapped to host a dancing competition series from "American Idol" (Fox, 2002- ) creators called "So You Think You Can Dance?" Interacting with the show's contestants and playing up to the viewers every week not only showcased Deeley's effervescent charm, it helped propel her career in the States as one of the country's favorite and most-watched television personalities. Catherine Elizabeth Deeley was born on Oct. 23, 1976 in Birmingham, England. The future star spent her childhood playing the clarinet with a local youth concert band and dreaming of a career in television. Deeley made her first steps towards the public eye when she entered a regional modeling competition for the BBC's "The Clothes Show" (1986-2000), which landed her a contract at age 16 with Storm, one of the U.K.'s leading modeling agencies. The agency attempted to persuade the aspiring model to leave school, but a determined Deeley completed her education at Bishop Vesey's Grammar School in Birmingham before becoming a fulltime model at 18. With her outgoing and bubbly personality, Deeley quickly tired of modeling and decided to pursue her dreams of working in television. In 1997, she began appearing on MTV UK as a VJ. The following year, Deeley made her debut as co-host of the family variety program "SM: TV Live" (ITV, 1998-2003). Her breakthrough role on the popular Saturday kids show earned Deeley a BAFTA Children's Award for Best Presenter in 2001. The blonde beauty also earned a significant adult following as evidenced by her No. 7 rank on FHM mag