Cat Deeley RemembersSYTYCDColleague Stephen 'tWitch' Boss as a 'Charming, Gentle Giant' (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Cat Deeley and Stephen tWitch Boss.Photo:Brett Cove/SOPA Images/Shutterstock; Jason Mendez/WireImage

Brett Cove/SOPA Images/Shutterstock; Jason Mendez/WireImage

So You Think You Can DancehostCat Deeleyis especially thinking aboutStephen “tWitch” Bossthis week.

Asseason 18of the Fox dance competition’s premieres, the beloved Briton is reflecting on her time with tWitch and telling PEOPLE she misses his warm presence on set most of all.

“He was one of the most genuinely charming, gentle giants of a man you could ever hope to meet,” says Deeley, 47. “You only have to look at his legacy to see how the show really does work and how if you don’t do it the first time, you come back and you try again.”

Season 17 SYTYCD cast.FOX via Getty

FOX via Getty

“He was such a good example of having a passion but not necessarily being technically trained,” she says. “He tried out three times. He tried out, he got ‘no’ twice, and came back. And he didn’t win, but he went on to have this amazing career — he was onEllen [DeGeneres’s talk show], he was inMagic Mike.”

Allison Holker Boss, tWitch’s wife and mother of theirthree children, is on thejudging tablefor season 18, and Deeley says she’s keeping her late husband’s legacy alive.

“She’s an incredibly talented dancer and she’s a great mom and just a great woman,” she affirms of the 36-year-oldauthor. “She’s incredibly strong. And what surprised me most about it is how open and honest she is. When anybody talks about tWitch, whatever anybody wants to say, she’s just, she’s very open.”

Allison Holker and tWitch.Rodin Eckenroth/WireImage

Rodin Eckenroth/WireImage

Allison also started her career as a dancer and choreographer on theSYTYCD, participating as a contestant in season 2 and returning in season 7alongside tWitch as an all-star, Deeley explains that having her expertise along with her willingness to be open about tWitch and her grief will be impactful on viewers.

She continues, “The more we can all talk to each other, the better it is for everybody, and she’s definitely, definitely a shining example of that and she’s taught me that.”

Cat Deeley at FOX Winter Juncket.Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty

Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty

Deeley’s favorite thing about the long-running competition series is that it teaches people how to be better in so many ways. She says she appreciates how honest contestants are when sharing who they are — even their faults and their mistakes.

“The things that make you different, those are the things that make you interesting as human beings,” she says, adding. “That’s quite often why the people who didn’t win the competition, there’s something about them that shows and then they go on to even more success.”

In her personal life, Deeley shares that she tries to prioritize the quality of her time with her family, even if that means waking up an hour earlier for her self-care or making more to-do lists than she knows what to do with.

“When I’m there, I’m in the moment and I’m fully invested in the moment, because otherwise you end up doing nothing very well,” she explains. “It’s about the prep that you do beforehand. So then if I’m with my boys, I’m with my boys. If I’m with my husband, I’m with my husband. If I’m with them on stage, I’m on stage. That’s the best way I can possibly do it.”

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So You Think You Can Danceairs Mondays at 9 p.m. ET on Fox.

source: people.com