‘Leave Chloe and marry me!’
Author and presenter Judy Finnigan has joked that her sporty son-in-law should take Richard’s place…
It’s no secret that former This Morning presenter Judy Finnigan will often take the side of daughter Chloe Madeley’s rugby star husband, James Haskell, when the young couple are rowing.
And Judy’s hubby Richard Madeley has, more than once, come out in support of his 33-year-old daughter.
But James, 36, revealed recently that his famous mumin-law is quite happy to take it a step further, cheekily joking that the burly sportsman should leave Chloe – and marry Judy instead!
He confessed, ‘I’ll call up Judy [during an argument with Chloe] and she says “leave Chloe and marry me!”’
Judy, 72, has certainly made it clear in the past that she has quite the soft spot for James – who tied the knot with her only daughter in December 2018, after getting down on one knee during a romantic trip to Paris.
She absolutely gushed over her ‘impressive’ son-in-law when she recalled the first time Chloe brought him home: ‘James had me from “hello”,’ she revealed mischievously. ‘He walked into our house for the first time, so toweringly tall he blocked out the light. I thought, “hmmm he’s impressive”.’
As for super-toned fitness guru Chloe, she has said that, given her dad’s generally more sympathetic ear and the fact that her mum ‘usually backs James’, it’s Richard she will turn to if she’s having any issues with her other half.
‘If James and I have had an argument, I will call Dad and he will counsel me through it. One of my biggest downfalls as a person is I think I find it hard to let things go and move on. So, my dad will always tell me, “Let it go, Chloe, this is ridiculous”. He’ll put me in my place.
‘But then at the same time, if he thinks James has done something wrong, he’ll say: “Stand your ground”.’
One of our favourite TV duos, Richard and Judy have been happily married since 1986, so if anyone is well-placed to give Chloe some words of wisdom on the secrets to a happy relationship, it’s probably these two (except, perhaps, for that ‘ditch Chloe and marry me’ advice – poor Richard!).
‘James had me at hello – so tall he blocked the light’