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TV legend Richard Madeley has given a frank account of his relationship with wife Judy Finnigan, confessing that heated arguments would often erupt just moments before they were due to go on air together.

The Good Morning Britain host, 69, and his wife are one of the most celebrated duos in British television history. Their paths crossed in the 1980s when they were both working at ITV's Granada Television.

Richard and Judy exchanged vows in 1986 and went on to co-host the newly-launched This Morning from 1988 to 2001. They subsequently left to present The Richard and Judy Show on Channel 4.

Despite their remarkable professional triumphs, Richard conceded that their personal and work lives would occasionally overlap.

During a conversation with former Busted star Matt Willis on his On The Mend podcast, Richard revealed how "blazing rows" would ensue before they went live: "We used to drive across from Manchester to Liverpool every morning, and sometimes you'd have a blazing row in the car, and you'd get to the studios, and she'd march off to makeup, and I'd march off to my dressing room, and we wouldn't speak, and then we'd meet on the floor for a quick rehearsal, and then we'd be on air."

As the cameras started rolling, Richard explained how it wouldn't take long for viewers to notice their disputes: "And we think that we were hiding the fact that we could barely look at each other.

"But within about 20 minutes, the girls in the phone room used to say that they used to get calls from people saying 'they've had a row, haven't they?'"

Richard and Judy share two children - son Jack and daughter Chloe. Following the conclusion of The Richard and Judy Show in 2009, the duo's careers have gone in different directions.

Richard has been a mainstay on Good Morning Britain since 2017, where he partners with co-presenter Susanna Reid.

He also took part in I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! in 2021, though medical issues led to him withdrawing early.

Throughout his career, he has made appearances on programmes such as Have I Got News for You, while also taking on hosting duties for BBC Radio 2 and BBC Question Time among numerous other ventures.

Nevertheless, in more recent times he has gained greater recognition for his return to ITV, where viewers regularly see him fronting Good Morning Britain with Susanna Reid during weekday breakfast television.

Judy Finnigan served as a frequent panellist on Loose Women during 2014 and 2015, and has additionally penned several novels.

The pair were caught off guard on the This Morning studio floor in 1997 when Michael Aspel surprised them as featured guests on This is Your Life.

Their daughter Chloe has established herself as a reality television personality and fitness enthusiast, featuring on programmes such as Dancing on Ice and The Jump.