Star of GMB Richard Madeley has opened up about being confronted in the street by an angry viewer.
The 67-year-old presenter has remained a familiar face on ITV during the past few decades. From 1988 until 2001, he hosted This Morning alongside his wife Judy Finnigan.
Over the past few years, Richard has been presenting without his wife on GMB, where his comments have faced criticism. However, he has now revealed he was confronted in person by an angry viewer near his holiday home in Cornwall.
‘He came right into my space’
During a How to Be 60 podcast appearance, Richard detailed the aggressive interaction.
“He came right into my space, finger jabbing at my chest and he said: ‘I just want you to know that everything you’ve ever done, everything you’ve ever said or will say, I loathe and [bleeping] despise, you [bleep],'” he said.
Richard didn’t take the situation too seriously, stating: “I just burst out laughing, because he was ridiculous. But honestly, I couldn’t give a [bleep].”
‘The worse the abuse, the funnier I find it’
Despite the negative interaction, Richard said most of the encounters he has with viewers face-to-face are relatively pleasant.
“I don’t get that sort of stuff out in the street at all. People are very friendly, they often come up and talk. We have intelligent sensible conversations,” he expressed. “I don’t get that sort of stuff out in the street at all. People are very friendly, they often come up and talk. We have intelligent sensible conversations.”
Richard continued: “You don’t see it in the real world. You have to remember that. I know there are some people who are badmouthed on Twitter and it really [bleeps] them up and it shouldn’t.”
Richards said that if the negative reaction mattered, it would have impacted his contracts. “It’s not, it’s just abuse and I honestly don’t care. The worse the abuse, the funnier I find it,” he added.
“And we all know that the abuse online, particularly on Twitter, comes from a tiny minority of people.”
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