Richard Madeley has confessed to smoking up to 60 cigarettes a day, describing his former habit as 'ridiculous'. The 69-year-old presenter, known for his work with wife Judy Finnigan, said he has a 'very addictive personality', which kept him away from drugs but made him heavily dependent on cigarettes.
Speaking on Busted star Matt Willis's podcast, Madeley said he started smoking at 16 when he worked as a reporter on a local newspaper. He recalled chain-smoking while typing stories, quickly becoming 'horribly addicted'. He never tried drugs, fearing he would fall into the same trap as others.
The turning point came when he interviewed journalist John Diamond on This Morning. Diamond, who had throat and mouth cancer caused by smoking, was in the final weeks of his life. Madeley described the interview as gripping and tragic, with Diamond struggling to speak after surgery.
During the live interview, Madeley asked Diamond if his condition was due to smoking. Diamond replied bluntly, 'Of course I f***ing am'. After the show, Madeley went to his dressing room, took out his remaining cigarettes, and flushed them down the toilet. He has not smoked since.
Madeley, now 69, quit at age 40. He credits Diamond's suffering with giving him the resolve to stop. Diamond died in 2001 at the age of 47.
