James Haskell has shared a hilarious anecdote about a surprising discovery during a visit to the home of Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan. The former rugby union star, who separated from Chloe Madeley in 2023, recounted the moment on the No Parental Guidance podcast.
James Haskell's Shocking Realization
In the early days of his relationship with Chloe, Haskell did not realize that her parents were the famous TV presenters Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan. That changed when she took him back to her family home. Haskell said Richard and Judy were "always really nice" to him, but he got a shock when he woke up in the night and spotted a photo of Richard hanging on the wall.
"I love Richard and Judy. They're great. Like, they were always really nice to me. You know, I didn't know Chloe was their daughter until I went on a date with her," Haskell said. He continued: "And it's 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."
A 'Kinky' Misunderstanding
Haskell recalled waking up in the night to use the bathroom and seeing a picture of Richard on the wall. "I thought, 'Chloe's into a bit of kinky s**t'. I was like, 'I don't look anything like that guy'," he said. "He's like tall, dark and handsome. I was like, 'This ain't going to last, is it?' Got back in bed and I was like, 'Why have you got a picture of Richard Madeley on the wall?' She went, 'It's my dad'. And I was like, 'Okay, fancy another s**g?'"
Richard and Judy's Legacy
Long-time TV duo Richard and Judy tied the knot in 1986 and fronted ITV's This Morning from 1988 to 2001. They later teamed up again for their chat show Richard and Judy. Since then, Richard has become a regular on ITV's Good Morning Britain and recently presented Richard Madeley: Inside the World's Mega Prison, while Judy has stepped back from TV to focus on other projects.
Their Dynamic at Home
The couple previously shared details about their dynamic at home. Speaking on Kate Thornton's White Wine Question Time podcast, Judy said: "I think working together for so long has bonded us more tightly than if we had two completely separate jobs. When (Richard) does GMB, I'm still here in bed, I'm happy to stay when he gets up, it doesn't make any difference at all to our relationship." Richard added: "We were bonded in our professional lives together, and now we're not, but actually, here on the inside, we still are. I suppose we're a bit semi-detached, but we're not detached in the way that it might seem to outsiders."
