Richard Madeley has opened up about his and Judy Finnigan’s marriage, as he addressed a difficult time when they were on the cusp of making a huge decision about their relationship
Richard Madeley has opened up about a pressing fear held by his wife, Judy Finnigan, before they moved in together, and how it led to him fleeing the UK to think “deeply”. In a recent episode of the On The Mend podcast with Matt Willis, Richard discussed the early days of his and Judy’s relationship, a time when they were both divorced and on the cusp of making a significant decision: whether to live together.
Judy, who had twin boys, Dan and Tom, from her previous marriage to David Henshaw, explained, according to Richard, that she came in a “three-pack” and felt “concerned” about whether he knew what he was doing in terms of being a stepfather.
To understand how he truly felt about the relationship, Richard jetted off to Greece for a spot of soul-searching. He spent two weeks in the European nation thinking “quite deeply” about his future, but it would all have a happy ending.
Richard said: “So, I went off on my own. I went off to Greece for two weeks on a kind of a solo holiday to think about it, because I didn’t want to rush – well, I wasn’t rushing – but I didn’t want to make that mistake.”
He continued: “I didn’t want to say airily and with super-confidence, ‘Oh, yeah, it’ll be fine. You know, I’m happy to be a stepfather’. I needed to know that I could deliver and that I meant it.”
He disclosed that he spent two weeks away to think “quite deeply” about the future and how he felt about Judy, ultimately deciding that he “felt very comfortable” and “told her that” upon his return.
Richard described how the four of them took a trip to Cornwall, where they rented a cottage as a “little trial”. Touchingly, it proved “fantastic”, and they had a “great time”; Richard added that this “sealed it”.
Richard and Judy, who tied the knot in 1986, went on to have two kids together, Chloe and Jack, and now have five grandchildren. In other news, the star, who hosts Good Morning Britain (GMB), recently made a “confession” on the ITV show.
Last week (October 16), he and co-host Kate Garraway updated viewers on the latest news. In the episode, colleague Charlotte Hawkins detailed how the amount of motorists landing penalty points had risen over the past year.
Speaking about the topic with commentators Kwasi Kwarteng and Ayesha Hazarika, Richard said: “I’m going to make a confession now, it’s not a big deal, but whatever.”
He then disclosed that he had six points on his driving licence, saying: “Both because of speed cameras. One for doing 34 mph on a dual carriageway at four thirty in the morning when it was a 30 mph [zone], I didn’t realise that.
“And one for doing 24 mph in a 20 mph zone at four thirty in the morning. And I have to say, I don’t mind being fined because, yes, I have broken the limit inadvertently, but to get three points on a licence, as well, seemed a bit harsh.”
Richard went on to note that speeding has to be “controlled”, but questioned whether we were “over-penalising drivers” for what he dubbed “relatively minor infractions”, adding that he wasn’t sure how he felt about the issue.