Archive October 21, 2025

Judy Finnigan’s fears for Richard Madeley before he fled UK to ‘think about relationship’

When Judy and Rickard Madeley were about to make a major decision about their relationship, Richard Madeley addressed a challenging situation.

Richard Madeley has opened up about a pressing fear held by his wife, Judy Finnigan, before they moved in together, and how it led to him fleeing the UK to think “deeply”. In a recent episode of the On The Mend podcast with Matt Willis, Richard discussed the early days of his and Judy’s relationship, a time when they were both divorced and on the cusp of making a significant decision: whether to live together.

According to Richard, Judy, who had twin boys Dan and Tom from her previous marriage to David Henshaw, said she was concerned about whether he knew what he was doing as a stepfather.

To understand how he truly felt about the relationship, Richard jetted off to Greece for a spot of soul-searching. He spent two weeks in the European nation thinking “quite deeply” about his future, but it would all have a happy ending.

Richard said: “So, I went off on my own. I went off to Greece for two weeks on a kind of a solo holiday to think about it, because I didn’t want to rush – well, I wasn’t rushing – but I didn’t want to make that mistake.”

He continued, “Oh, yeah, it’ll be fine,” without airing it out loud and confidently. I’m happy to be your stepfather, I assure you. I needed to know I could deliver and that I was right.

He revealed that he spent two weeks away from Judy and that he thought “quite deeply” about the future and his feelings toward her when he ultimately said he “felt very comfortable” and “told her that” when he returned.

Richard described how the four of them took a trip to Cornwall, where they rented a cottage as a “little trial”. Touchingly, it proved “fantastic”, and they had a “great time”; Richard added that this “sealed it”.

Richard and Judy, who tied the knot in 1986, went on to have two kids together, Chloe and Jack, and now have five grandchildren. In other news, the star, who hosts Good Morning Britain (GMB), recently made a “confession” on the ITV show.

Last week (October 16), he and co-host Kate Garraway updated viewers on the latest news. In the episode, colleague Charlotte Hawkins detailed how the amount of motorists landing penalty points had risen over the past year.

Speaking about the topic with commentators Kwasi Kwarteng and Ayesha Hazarika, Richard said: “I’m going to make a confession now, it’s not a big deal, but whatever.”

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He then disclosed that he had six points on his driving licence, saying: “Both because of speed cameras. One for doing 34 mph on a dual carriageway at four thirty in the morning when it was a 30 mph [zone], I didn’t realise that.

“And one for traveling at four in the morning at twenty-four mph in a 20 mph zone.” And I have to admit that I don’t mind getting fined because, yes, I accidentally broke the law, but it also seemed a little unfair to receive three points on a license.

Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv to decline tickets to Europa League match in UK

Even if a previous ruling by local officials had barred the team’s supporters from attending, Israeli football team Maccabi Tel Aviv has said it will refuse any tickets to a game in the United Kingdom.

According to Maccabi Tel Aviv, which had “hard lessons learned,” it had decided to turn down any offer of tickets for the Europa League game against Aston Villa on Monday.

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In a statement posted online, the team stated that “the safety and well-being of our fans is top priority.” In that context, “our decision should be understood.”

The organization added that it has been “working to combat racism” among its “more extreme elements.”

Muslim, Christian, and Jewish players make up our first-team squad, according to the statement. Additionally, our fan base crosses the line between religion and race.

The team’s decision came a day after Israeli police had to cancel a Maccabi game with its rival Tel Aviv team Hapoel before kickoff due to what they termed “public disorder and violent riots.”

The decision by Israeli authorities to halt the game contrasted with criticism from British and Israeli leaders regarding Birmingham City’s decision to outlaw Maccabi supporters from the November 6 game at Villa Park in Birmingham, central England.

Israeli Foreign Affairs Minister Gideon Saar demanded that the city’s Safety Advisory Group (SAG) ban be reversed, while UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer called it the “wrong decision.”

The UK government announced on Friday that it was attempting to overthrow local authorities to permit the presence of Israeli fans.

Some UK politicians questioned the government’s role in Birmingham after Israeli police shut down the match between Tel Aviv teams on Sunday.

“Thanks to Keir Starmer and others who attempted to make this about religion!” More evidence is provided in this example. These fans chose violence despite being in the spotlight, injuring police officers, independent MP Ayoub Khan wrote in a post on X.

Labour MP Richard Burgon sided with his government, claiming that the recent developments supported the club’s decision to forbid fans from watching the game.

He said on X, “This news exposes how ridiculous that campaign has been.” “Birmingham residents have a right to be kept safe,” says the statement.

According to West Midlands Police, the match was deemed high risk based on “current intelligence and previous incidents, including violent clashes and hate crimes, that occurred during the 2024 UEFA Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv in Amsterdam,” according to a statement released last week.

According to the police force, “we believe this measure will help reduce risks to public safety,” according to their professional judgment.

Numerous arrests were caused by the clashes between pro-Palestinian supporters and Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters last year in Amsterdam.

Following incidents of Israeli fans raping Palestinians and Arabs, assaulting residents, and destroying Palestinian solidarity symbols, the clashes came as a result of the incidents.

Additionally, there were rumored anti-Semitism-related incidents during the clashes, including a private messaging chat that demanded a “Jew hunt.”

According to a report released by UN investigators that stated that Israel is killing Palestinians, legal experts have also expressed concerns about Israeli teams playing in international sporting events.

More than 30 legal experts wrote to UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin earlier this month to claim that it was “imperative” to outlaw Israel from competitions.