Richard Madeley has denied that he is becoming the “new Piers Morgan” after taking up more regular appearances on Good Morning Britain.
Richard, 65, has filled controversial mouthpiece Piers shoes nicely on the popular ITV show since his departure, regularly making comments that spark conversation among viewers.
His most recent debate causing moment came when he questioned if death threats received by politicians are a “big deal” causing viewers to compare him to Piers Morgan “wrapped in woolly, comical jibes.”
Richard has now spoken out about the comments in a chat with Express.co.uk as he vehemently denied the comparisons.
(Image: Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
He said: “I am part of a team, I am not, I repeat NOT the new or next Piers Morgan. I am me. I’m doing it my way.”
Richard originally appeared on GMB as a stand-in for Piers back in 2017, but has since taken on a more regular role on Monday – Wednesday.
However, he admitted he doesn’t desire to take on Piers old position full time.
He explained: “It’s not my full-time job, I’m there two to three weeks out of four, usually three days of a week.
“I don’t do it to the extent Piers did when he was on. I do it quite enough for me. I’m sort of semi-regular and that suits me down to the ground.”
The This Morning veteran then shared his admiration for Piers as he described aspects of their professional connection.
He continued: “I love Piers, I’ve known him for well over 30 years. We went to the same journalism college, not at the same time because I’m a bit older than him.
“I wouldn’t say we are kindred spirits, but we share quite a lot of values underneath it all.
(Image: Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
“He is a mate and I’m sure he’s going to do incredibly well in his next job, everyone’s going to be watching. He’s a real force of nature.”
GMB saw Richard return to prime time TV for the first time since 2008 when his Channel 4 chat show alongside with Judy Finnegan came to an end. The couple became household names when they presented This Morning from its inception in 1988 until 2001.
Talking about his historical career Richard said: “I started in newspapers 50 years ago, I spent most of the formative years in straight news then Judy and I got the This Morning gig and then we got the Richard and Judy show.
“GMB is there to break the stories each day, and that’s where I’m from. It is a very slick operation, it’s a very good-looking show, it’s got a brilliant team and it’s a privilege to work on it. I’m really pleased they asked me.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
