Richard Keys has taken an angry swipe at the media after the coverage of his wedding and is now claiming his new wife is not his daughter’s best friend.
The joy of the 66-year-old presenter’s picturesque wedding to Lucie Rose, 35, was soured when he received an online backlash about his alleged philandering.
Tabloid outlets reported Keys was still married to wife of 36 years Julia when he met Rose in 2016. It was said his then-wife was recovering from thyroid cancer when she learned of the affair.
Keys wrote in his blog: “When my first marriage collapsed my wife was not suffering with cancer. She’d been in remission after a dreadful scare — one she managed with dignity and bravery.”
He added: “Lucie was never my daughter’s friend — let alone her best friend.
“They met twice. The circumstances don’t matter — at this stage. That’s something I’ll address going forward.”
The wedding was held at Kingswear near Brixham, Devon, on Saturday and Keys blogged about the reporting on Wednesday. Keys’s children Joshua and Jemma did not attend the ceremony.
Julia told the Mail Online: “What can I say — I’m in a new relationship now and I’ve put Richard and our marriage behind me now.”
Who is Richard Keys?
The 66-year-old is a long-time sports presenter, best known for fronting Sky’s coverage of the Premier League and Champions League in the 1990s and 2000s.
He has enjoyed a long-term partnership with former player Andy Gray but the pair both left in inglorious circumstances over sexist comments in 2011.
While the pair were working on a game between Wolves and Liverpool, the female assistant referee Sian Massey made what was later proven to be a correct call.
But in a comment made while he thought the microphone was off, Keys disagreed, saying: “Somebody better get down there and explain offside to her.”
Gray replied: “Yeah, I know. Can you believe that? Female linesman. Forget what I said — they probably don’t know the offside rule.”
“Course they don’t,” added Keys.
Gray replied: “Why is there a female linesman? Somebody’s f*cked up big.”
Since departing Sky, Keys and Gray have worked for TalkSport and Al Jazeera.
He currently presents BeIN Sports coverage of the Premier League from their base in Qatar.
He previously wrote in his blog: “I’ve loved every minute of working and living in Qatar. It’s a gorgeous little country to whom I owe a great debt. My Qatari bosses have always been there for me — one in particular, who I now count as a close friend.
“Qatar is home — and I was proud to have been a defender of its right to take a place at football’s top table last December.”
