Veteran TV presenter Richard Madeley has spoken candidly about the impact of his and wife Judy Finnigan's fame on their children, specifically addressing a claim from their daughter Chloe that she felt people didn't like her because of her famous parents.
The Family Spotlight
The Good Morning Britain host made the comments during an appearance on Matt Willis's On The Mend podcast. The Busted star read out a direct quote from Chloe, in which she stated she "felt like people didn't like her because of you both being her parents."
In his response, Richard suggested that his daughter's perspective may have since changed. "Well if she said that, that's what she said," he acknowledged. "I think if you were to ask her that question now she would probably give you a different answer."
A Life in the Public Eye
Richard and Judy, who married in 1986, are two of British television's most recognised faces. They first met while working for Granada Television and went on to front flagship programmes like This Morning from 1988 to 2001 and their own Richard & Judy show on Channel 4 from 2001 to 2009.
Their family includes their son Jack and daughter Chloe, while Judy also has twin sons, Dan and Tom, from her first marriage to David Henshaw. Chloe has since forged her own career in the public eye as a model, journalist, and TV presenter.
Handling the 'Publicity Monster'
Despite the challenges, Richard is adamant that their celebrity status did not negatively affect their children's lives. He argued that their upbringing equipped them with the tools to deal with media attention.
"I don't think any of my kids had a negative life experience because of what their mum and dad do," he stated firmly.
He elaborated that Chloe entered the spotlight with a background understanding of how to manage it. "When the publicity monster tapped on their shoulder, they know how to handle it," he said. "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."
He also referenced her high-profile marriage to former rugby star James Haskell, with whom she shares a three-year-old daughter, as another instance where she capably handled the accompanying media scrutiny.
Concluding his thoughts, Richard affirmed, "You can ask them and I think they'd tell you the same thing." The interview also saw Richard discuss his personal stance on drugs, revealing he avoided them due to a "horrible feeling" he would have succumbed to addiction.
