The Good Morning Britain presenter Richard Madeley spoke on Matt Willis’ podcast about how his children learned to handle the ‘publicity monster’ as he discussed the impact on daughter Chloe Madeley
Robin Cottle Assistant Editor Trendswatch
19:00, 29 Nov 2025
Chloe Madeley has followed her famous parents into the showbiz world(Image: Getty Images)
TV presenter Richard Madeley has spoken out about daughter Chloe’s assertion that she isn’t “liked” because he and wife Judy Finnigan are her parents. The Good Morning Britain host and his spouse are amongst the most recognisable faces on British television. They share two children, including Chloe, whilst Judy has twin boys from her first marriage.
Chloe has also carved out a career in the spotlight as a model, journalist and TV presenter. She was previously married to former rugby star James Haskell, with whom she shares a three year old daughter. 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 replied: “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,” reports the Mirror. Richard and Judy, who first encountered each other whilst working on separate TV programmes for Granada Television, wed in 1986.
Chloe with her parents Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan(Image: Getty Images)
They were both married to different people when they first met before they eventually became one of British television’s most famous couples. Judy had twin sons, Dan and Tom, from her first marriage to David Henshaw whilst the couple went on to welcome Jack and Chloe to complete their family.
They worked on numerous programmes, including This Morning (which they presented from 1988 to 2001) and Richard and Judy on Channel 4 from 2001 to 2009. Richard is firm in his belief that their upbringing equipped them to handle media attention and intrusion, asserting “I don’t think any of my kids had a negative life experience because of what their mum and dad do”.
Richard and Judy with their kids Jack and Chloe(Image: Getty Images)
The 69-year-old presenter stated: “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.
“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 avoided drugs because he has a “horrible feeling” he would have fallen into addiction if he had tried them. Matt himself has spoken candidly about how he has suffered from alcohol and drug addiction before getting clean.
Richard and Judy met when they both worked for Granada Television in the 1980s(Image: Dave Benett/Getty Images)
It comes after Richard confessed his first marriage was ‘ridiculous’ and ‘very unfair’ on his ex-wife. As he continued his chat with Matt on his podcast, Richard shared insights into what he described as the “failure” of his first marriage. He was married to Lynda Hooley at the time he met Judy.
Tying the knot at 21, Richard, whose marriage to Lynda lasted just five years, confessed that he was simply “too young” and “way too optimistic”. The union ultimately ended in divorce. Richard addressed the fact that he and Judy both had been married before (Judy and David would also divorce), but admitted that he was “simply not mature enough” when he was wed to Lynda.
He said: “So, we both know what it is to fail, and I certainly – and I always said this – I certainly blame myself for the failure of my first marriage because I got married…I simply got married too young. I was way too optimistic.”
Catch Richard Madeley on Michael McIntrye’s The Wheel, which airs this evening (Saturday, November 29) from 8.05pm to 9.05pm on BBC One. The TV presenter will be joined by the likes of comedian David Walliams, reality TV star Spencer Matthews and his wife Vogue Williams.
