Presenter Richard Madeley caused an uproar online earlier today (October 16) after leading a segment on Good Morning Britain that involved shoplifting.
In the segment, he discussed the use of GPS tags on shoplifters during an interview with a woman once dubbed “Birmingham’s most prolific shoplifter”.
Keeley Knowles was in the studio to discuss the news that Sussex Police is now fitting thieves with GPS ankle tags to tackle the issue of shoplifting. It comes after a 10% rise in shoplifting in the county.
However, for many viewers, the discussion raised eyebrows for all the wrong reasons…
Good Morning Britain viewers brand Richard Madeley a ‘hypocrite’
Previously, presenter Richard Madeley admitted to being arrested for shoplifting in 1994 after forgetting to pay for bottles of champagne at Tesco on two occasions.
In court, he blamed a lapse in memory, which led to a not-guilty verdict. He was presenting This Morning at the time.
Still, viewers couldn’t help but notice the irony of the segment, with many of them bringing up the past event on X.
‘Most hypocritical thing I’ve seen’
“I just love how GMB always seems to sniff out a shoplifting story whenever Richard #BolingerBurglar Madeley is in the presenting chair,” one user joked. “I bet his guts are churning throughout.”
“Watching Richard Madeley talking about shoplifting here on telly is the most hypocritical thing I have seen for a long time,” another wrote. “Doesn’t he remember the bottles of wine he robbed and caught?”
A third quipped: “Has Richard Madeley got a tag on?”
“Richard Madeley discussing shoplifting once again, all the time pretending he’d never done,” a fourth added. “Sanctimonious hypocrite.”
‘Would this have deterred you?’ @kategarraway asks the woman once dubbed Birmingham’s most prolific shoplifter, Keeley Knowles.
This comes as Sussex Police is now fitting thieves with GPS ankle tags to tackle the issue of shoplifting, which has risen 10% in the county. pic.twitter.com/PzoteRrsp7
— Good Morning Britain (@GMB) October 16, 2025
Richard called shoplifting incident an ‘oversight’
In a 2o23 interview with The Sun, Richard reflected on his arrest.
“Thank God Twitter wasn’t around then. But the whole thing was so self-evidently [bleep] that my not paying was an oversight,” he said.
“It was leaked by someone at Tesco. At the time, though, I thought, well, of course it’s going to be okay because otherwise the world’s gone mad. I never felt I was going to get cancelled.”
He added: “Granada Television were fantastic. And the Monday after they found out, and knew the facts of the case and knew it was rubbish, they told me not to worry.”
Richard’s ‘confession’
Earlier on today’s show, Richard also confessed to having six points on his driving licence after being caught speeding. For viewers, the admission was especially shocking when coupled with the shoplifting drama.
“Richard Madeley pretending the 6 points on his driving licence were put on there through no fault of his own a bit like the bottles of wine he didn’t pay for jumped in his bag as he was walking out the shop,” a viewer commented.
Meanwhile, another declared: “Richard Madeley is now talking about shoplifting (after admitting to speeding). Oops. This man is a menace to society!”
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