Richard Madeley responded to claims that his daughter Chloe is not “liked” due to her association with him and wife Judy Finnigan as he considered the impact of their celebrity status
Robin Cottle Assistant Editor Trendswatch
18:00, 29 Nov 2025
Richard Madeley opened up on the impact of his celebrity status on his kids(Image: Getty Images)
TV presenter Richard Madeley has opened about daughter Chloe’s claim that she isn’t “liked” because he and wife Judy Finnigan are her parents.
The Good Morning Britain presenter and his spouse are two of the most recognisable faces on British television. They share two children, including Chloe, while Judy has twin boys from her first marriage.
Chloe has also launched a career in a spotlight as a model, journalist and TV presenter. She was also married to former rugby star James Haskell, who she shares a three-year-old daughter with.
Speaking on Matt Willis’ On The Mend podcast, the Busted star read out a quote from Chloe where she said she “felt like people didn’t like her because of you both being her parents”.
Richard responded: “Well if she said that, that’s what she said I think if you were to ask her that question now she would probably give you a different answer.”
Chloe Madeley has launched her own showbiz career(Image: Getty Images)
Richard and Judy, who first met while working on separate TV shows for Granada Television, tied the knot in 1986. They were both married to different people when they met.
Judy had twin sons, Dan and Tom, from her first marriage to David Henshaw while the couple went on to welcome Jack and Chloe to complete their family.
They worked on a number of programmes, including This Morning (which they hosted from 1988 to 2001) and Richard & Judy on Channel 4 from 2001 to 2009.
Richard is adamant that their upbringing showed them how to deal with media attention and intrusion, claiming “I don’t think any of my kids had a negative life experience because of what their mum and dad do”.
The presenter said: “Chloe’s gone into the public eye with the work that she’s done, but she’s done that with the background knowledge of how to handle it.
“They’ve all ploughed their own furrows. When the publicity monster tapped on their shoulder, they know how to handle it. They could always of course turn to us for advice, Chloe in particular as she’s probably got the highest profile of all of them.
Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan with their kids Jack and Chloe(Image: Getty Images)
“She was married to James Haskell, the rugby player, that of course attracted a lot of attention. Which again she was able to handle.
“I honestly don’t think any of my kids have anything like a negative life experience because of what their mum and dad do. You can ask them and I think they’d tell you the same thing.
Richard went on to tell Matt Willis how he steered clear of drugs because he has a “horrible feeling” he would have fallen into addiction if he had tried them.
Catch Richard on Michael McIntryre’s The Wheel with David Walliams and Spencer Matthews tonight (Saturday, November 29) at 8.05pm on BBC One.
