Richard Madeley was left fighting back tears beside his wife Judy Finnigan in a new Channel 5 documentary as he addressed the death of his co-star Sir Terry Wogan
Richard Madeley was in tears on a special Channel 5 documentary dedicated to his career with wife Judy Finnigan.
The Good Morning Britain presenter looked back on his life and work from his early days at Granada to helming This Morning. But discussing taking over Sir Terry Wogan’s Radio 2 show after the legend’s death in 2016, Richard got tearful.
He admitted: “None of us saw this coming,” to listeners on the live programme, after the world was left reeling from the Children in Need presenter’s death at the age of 77. And reflecting back on the loss eight years later, it was clear Richard was still hugely affected.
His wife Judy had to comfort him from their sofa as he discussed stepping into Wogan’s shoes, which were a tough pair to fill.
Richard Madeley was left in tears
In the documentary, Richard said of taking over the show that day: “It was all very emotional. It went fine, and the guests spoke beautifully, so I didn’t have to do much, thankfully.
“Going off air, I was looking through the glass into the gallery. It was full of Radio 2 staff presenters, the head of the station, producers. It was full of them, all watching in silence.
“I just remember thinking, ‘I don’t think I let Terry down there’.” Richard had to stop speaking to choke back tears as Judy told him: “You did very well.”
Judy was on hand to comfort her husband
In the programme, Richard also explained how he used to call his wife “mummy” when they first started working together. He said: “I was sitting at my desk when this hand appeared on my shoulder and I looked up at this face and Judy said, ‘Hi, I’m your Mummy’ and I thought ‘Whaaaaat?’
“At Granada when someone new arrived, someone was appointed as their dad or their mum to show them round – the canteen, the toilets and all that. So Judy was my ‘mum’.”
The pair first tied the knot in 1986 – and Richard admitted that even after they were married, Granada wouldn’t let them work together until a charity event in 1988. But after that, they landed the This Morning gig – and the rest is history.
