Judy Finnigan: Why did she stop presenting with husband Richard Madeley?

Judy Finnigan and Richard Madeley had been a TV presenting duo for decades. The couple have been married since 1986 and started presenting This Morning together two years later, in 1988 all the way up to 2001. Finnigan and Madeley’s TV career didn’t stop there, they then went on to host their own show on Channel 4 from 2001 to 2009.

After this, Finnigan took a step back from television, but made several appearances on Loose Women, her last being in 2016. In 2002, Madeley and Finnigan wrote their autobiography entitled: Richard and Judy: The Autobiography.

Judy Finnigan retired in 2018 and has talked about why she retired and how her relationship is with Richard since stepping away from the limelight.

Judy Finnigan wasn’t a fan of the celebrity life

In reality, there are a couple of reasons why Judy Finnigan decided to retire from her television career. According to Woman’s Own as per Good To Know, Judy struggled immensely with menopause.

Judy revealed that working whilst going through menopause was ‘horrible’ and she didn’t want to live out the after-effects of it in the eyes of the public. Judy explained:

Menopause can be horrible (mine was, and it affected my work badly). It’s good we can now talk openly about it; taboos and secrecy make everything worse.

Adding:

You get to the point where you just think, “I don’t want anything to do with it any more”

The other reason, according to her husband, Richard Madeley, is that she was never a fan of the celebrity life. Madeley revealed that Judy loved her job, but not the other stuff that came with being a TV figure.

He said, as per Yahoo News:

I always say this about Judy, in my mind, she was probably the best female TV presenter of her generation – amazing.

But she never really enjoyed it that much

Adding:

She enjoyed the job, the process, but all the rubbish that comes along with it, being in the papers… She never enjoyed that.

She doesn’t miss it at all.

What is Judy Finnigan doing now?

Judy Finnigan had another job alongside her TV presenting career, she was also a writer. Indeed, Judy has written 3 books. Finnigan published her first book Eloise in 2012, which became a Sunday Times bestseller. Her second book was published in 2015, entitled I Do Not Sleep. Her third book, Roseland is coming out on November 9, 2023.

In an episode of the podcast White Wine Question Time with Kate Thornton, the couple revealed that they are still extremely close despite no longer working together. Judy said:

We are incredibly close, we always have been.

Adding:

By the time I decided I’d had enough, you and I were something completely different anyway, it just didn’t matter, it didn’t make any difference at all.

She explained that she is ‘happy to stay’ while Richard goes off to host Good Morning Britain and that it ‘doesn’t make any difference at all to our relationship’.

Read more:

⋙ Chloe Madeley: Everything you need to know about the divorce rumours

⋙ Bradley Walsh: This is how the richest presenter in the UK enjoys his £18M net worth

⋙ Susanna Reid: The real reason why she is 'having a break' from Good Morning Britain

Sources used:

Express: ‘Richard Madeley admits he and Judy Finnigan are now ‘semi-detached’ after TV exit decision’

Good To Know: ‘Judy Finnigan on why she REALLY stepped back from TV work’

Yahoo News: ‘Richard Madeley reveals wife Judy Finnigan has moved out of their bedroom’