James Haskell has revealed that he was unaware Chloe Madeley's parents were the iconic TV duo Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan, leading to an awkward misunderstanding early in their relationship. The former England rugby star, 41, shared the anecdote on the No Parental Guidance podcast, recounting a moment during their first date when he spotted a photo of Richard Madeley on the wall and assumed Chloe had unconventional tastes.
First Date Confusion
Haskell explained that he did not know Chloe was the daughter of Richard and Judy until their first date. He said: "I didn’t know Chloe was their daughter until I went on a first date with her, it was the first night that we spent together. And she took me back to her parents’ house but they weren’t in. And I didn’t really ask if she was in her parents’ house."
Later that night, Haskell woke up and saw a picture of Richard Madeley on the wall. He recalled: "I thought Chloe’s into a bit of kinky sh**. I was like, I don’t look anything like that guy, I’m not that type. He’s tall, dark and handsome. I was like, this isn’t going to last, is it?"
The Revelation
When he asked Chloe why she had a picture of Richard Madeley, she replied: "It's my dad." Haskell then joked: "And I was like, okay, fancy another s**g?"
Richard and Judy were one of the UK's most popular TV presenting duos, hosting ITV's This Morning together from 1988 to 2001. Richard now appears on Good Morning Britain as a presenter. Haskell described them as "TV royalty" and said they were "always really nice" to him.
Co-Parenting After Split
Haskell and Chloe were married from 2018 to 2023 and have a daughter, Bodhi, born in August 2022. On the podcast, Haskell insisted their breakup was not "nefarious" but because "we didn't get on anymore." He praised Chloe for making him a "much better person" and said they co-parent "constructively."
He added: "We’re able to co-parent in a way, sometimes is good, sometimes is bad, that’s what happens. But we do it constructively for our daughter."
