Richard Madeley recently admitted that he told his wife, Judy Finnigan, he would move away from London “in a heartbeat” during an emotional phone call. Speaking on the Spectator’s Table Talk podcast, the Good Morning Britain presenter reflected on his early career and life outside London, where he spent around 20 years living in the North.
Having lived in locations such as Carlisle, Leeds, and Manchester, where he met and settled with Judy, a Mancunian, he expressed feeling “very happy” in the North and particularly fond of Manchester, calling it a “cool city.”
Richard shared a nostalgic moment he experienced on a recent visit to Manchester, recalling how he called Judy from outside their old house in Didsbury, expressing his desire to move back. Despite being a Londoner at heart, he confessed that he would consider it a “blessing” to return to Manchester.
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The 68-year-old began his career at BBC Radio Carlisle in the 1970s before moving to Granada Reports in the 1980s. In 2023, an old recording of him speaking at BBC Cumbria resurfaced, leaving the veteran presenter squirming with embarrassment as his GMB co-star, Susanna Reid, playfully commented on his accent.
Richard’s nostalgia for his time in the North and his willingness to leave London for a return to Manchester sheds light on his strong emotional connection to the region, despite his long-standing ties to the capital.