Judy Finnigan has opened up about the tears she shed behind-the-scenes when This Morning shifted from its Liverpool roots to London. Launching the show back in 1988 alongside her husband Richard Madeley, the pair were a hit on ITV, broadcasting from the iconic Royal Albert Dock.
To front the show, the dynamic duo would travel from their Manchester abode to Liverpool, all while managing their young kids, Chloe and Jack, along with Judy’s other two children from her previous marriage to David Henshaw.
After serving eight years on the show, Richard and Judy informed bosses they had thought about calling it quits for various reasons and suggested to big bosses that it might be time to bring in fresh faces.
The TV couple have reflected on their lengthy careers and relationship in their new Channel 5 documentary, Richard and Judy: Our Best Bits – In Our Own Words, in which Richard says of the This Morning change: “We began making vague noises to our bosses, ‘Maybe this might be our last year doing it and maybe they should think about putting on somebody else’.”
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Judy chimed in to liken that time to “groundhog day” and confessed that juggling the grind of a five-day week, the commute, and family life was “very intense”. After expressing their thoughts to bosses at Granada, they were then asked if they’d be up for broadcasting the show from London, reports the Express.
Richard recalls: “They went away and came back to us and said, ‘We kind of agree with you that the programme needs a bit of a refresh, how would you feel if we moved the show to the Southbank in London?'”
The presenter jumped at the chance being a Londoner himself, while Judy also felt the buzz, until the reality hit home. During the first episode live from their new home, the presenter described the move as “traumatic”, to which Richard quipped: “She’s settling in very well.”
Judy went on to say: “When we did move to London, I spent the first year, year and a half, desperately home sick.
“As did many of our team, we all used to gather in the dressing room after the programme and cry.”
This Morning’s co-creator Dianne Nelmes also spoke out in the documentary and admitted she wasn’t a fan of the move.
“I still think to the day that it was never quite the same when it moved to London,” she shared.
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Dianne went on to reflect on the days when whispers began that Richard and Judy were more than just co-hosts.
She shared: “Rumours started that Richard and Judy were having an affair and I simply didn’t believe it.
“I remember at one point I got a few journalists together and read the riot act and said, ‘Will you stop all this gossip they’ve got a great chemistry on screen and they are just good friends, so stop it’. Well, I never live that down.”
Richard and Judy’s iconic run on This Morning wrapped up in 2001 after a memorable 13-year stretch, leading them to a fresh start with Channel 4.
Following another eight years of television magic, their stint hosting the show concluded and the duo pursued individual paths in their careers.
These days, Richard is still a familiar face on TV, hosting programmes like Good Morning Britain, whereas Judy has turned her talents to the literary world, focusing on her writing.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
