Richard Madeley has finally returned to Good Morning Britain after fans of the show had started to become concerned. The veteran TV presenter has been missing from the ITV news programme for months but was back alongside Susanna Reid on Tuesday morning (October 11).
He was last seen on the show on August 10 and during his time away, viewers became worried for the star and feared he had suddenly been axed from the programme. Richard has been among the changing male hosting line-up since Piers Morgan's exit in March 2021.
But on Tuesday, Susanna welcomed Richard back on-screen after his notable absence from the show. "You’ve abandoned life and you’re back on the earlies and it is absolutely lovely to have you back," the 51-year-old told him.
She then added: "Your family has changed since I last saw you," before Richard revealed that he actually found out his daughter Chloe was in labour while he was presenting GMB with Charlotte Hawkins.
"Well on my very last day doing the show in the middle of August a couple of months ago, I couldn’t tell you at the time because my didn’t want me say anything but she was in labour. She was having the baby, and the baby was actually born at 8:40am, while we were in the commercial break, which was very handy."
Chloe, 35, and her former rugby star husband James Haskell welcomed their first child, a daughter, into the world last month after a difficult eight-hour induced labour ended in a C-section. Chloe, who is the daughter of former This Morning stars Richard and Judy Finnegan, feared the moment they welcomed their baby girl, who they named Bodhi Rae Georgia Haskell, would never happen after two years of trying to conceive.
He went on to update Susanna on what’s been happening in the Madeley household, revealing his new granddaughter is actually living with him and Judy. "Our house in London has been baby central, because Chloe, her husband and the baby have been living with us, because their house is being done up," the 62-year-old explained.
"So they’ve been living with us for three months, and I love it! You just go in and it’s like 'baby, baby, baby everywhere.'" He added: "I enjoy it, let’s put it that way. She’s a beautiful baby. Little Bobo."
Richard previously spoke about his future on GMB during an episode of Sunday Brunch. "Since Piers left, as you know, his chair has been a kind of rotating gig and all sorts of presenters have come in and done it. It is true that of late I’ve kind of risen to the top of that pile I suppose," he said on the Channel 4 show.
"But I don’t know for how long as I’m on quite a short contract." He went on : "I don’t know what’s going to happen. I’ve got quite a big break in the summer, I’m going to France and then I’ll be back quite a lot in the autumn.
"But as for next year I have no idea and that’s fine for me. I’m not chasing it, you know. “If they turn around and say ‘We’re relaunching the programme and thanks Richard for all the fish but we’re going to use so and so,’ that would be fine with me."
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