30 October 2023 , 14:37
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Richard Madeley artfully sidestepped addressing the collapse of his daughter’s marriage to rugby star James Haskell while hosting Good Morning Britain on Monday.
The 67-year-old presenter is proud father to 36-year-old Chloe who married 38-year-old James in 2018 – with the couple welcoming a daughter named Bodhi in August 2022. Chloe and James’s marriage was rocked earlier this month when photographs emerged of the sport star looking very close to an unidentified blonde woman while Chloe was nowhere to be seen.
Eyebrows were raised further when both he and Chloe were spotted without wedding bands on, and he flew off Ibiza where he was surrounded by bikini-clad women. Over the weekend, the couple announced they had decided to end their marriage – shocking many of their fans.
While Good Morning Britain is described as ITV’s flagship morning news show, it often strays into more trivial news topics – with celebrity break-ups often taking up air time. However, there was no mention of Chloe and James’s marital woes on Monday morning – which saw Richard helming the show alongside 56-year-old Kate Garraway.
Richard Madeley expertly avoided discussing the collapse of his daughter Chloe's marriage to James Haskell (ITV1)Instead, the news team focused on events in the Middle East, the shock death of Friends actor Matthew Perry, and also featured an interview with Rebecca Loos discussing her past fling with footballer David Beckham. Some viewers noted a level of irony over the fact that Rebecca had been called onto the show to discuss her alleged affair with Dave while the collapse of James and Chloe's marriage was ignored.
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One wrote a scathing comment on X: "Did anyone ask dad @richardmadeley1 about daughter @chloemadeley marriage. I would be more interested in hearing about that, considering he always tears into Meghan and is a hater. Also Richard had many affairs, before marrying Judy. Hardly the right person to talk affairs." Another viewer wrote: "Has Dickie Madeley mentioned his daughter Chloe yet?" And another commented: "he should be concentrating on sorting James Haskell née Madeley."
What was once happy, has soured... Chloe and James's marriage is over (Instagram/madeleychloe)On Sunday, James broke the news that his marriage to Chloe was over – with a statement being released via Instagram. He wrote: "It's with a lot of sadness I write this post, but unfortunately, in the world we live in, it has to be done. My priority is my daughter’s and Chloe’s happiness and security. For that reason, I won't be commenting any further."
A further statement read: "Chloe and I mutually decided to separate at the end of September, 2023. We had not planned on releasing a statement at this time – certainly not while the television show was airing – but constant speculation about our marriage has, unfortunately, forced our hand.
"Beyond this statement, we will not be speaking about this matter publicly, and we would request privacy at this time. Our sole focus now is our beautiful daughter. We shall continue to co-parent with nothing but love."
Chloe shared a similar statement on her own Instagram page. Meanwhile, their TV show, Chloe Madeley: A Family Affair, which followed Chloe and James and their day to day lives of being new parents, has been airing on ITV. The easy viewing documentary reality series was rocked by rumours surrounding their marriage earlier this month – with some TV fans speculating that the couple had staged allegations in order to boost ratings for the show.