Richard Madeley has finally addressed the question that has gripped the nation for six decades: the secret behind his luscious blond locks. The legendary broadcaster, currently the face of ITV's flagship breakfast show Good Morning Britain, has been a staple of British TV since the mid-1970s. Over the years, he has presented on This Morning, his Channel 4 show with his wife Richard and Judy, and of course GMB, cementing his legacy as a beloved broadcaster. Throughout all the highs and lows, however, one constant has remained: his full, healthy head of hair.
After celebrating his 70th birthday earlier in May, with his mane as thriving as ever, Madeley has decided to stop gatekeeping his magical haircare tips and tricks and tell the public exactly how he has managed to maintain it, even if he is weirded out by the public's obsession. 'I get very odd comments about my hair, people saying I've dyed it blond – and I haven't,' he told The Telegraph, immediately debunking the first myth. He then doubled down on the origins of his hair colour, explaining that it has been white-blond since childhood. 'It's genetic. I promise you it's not lemon juice or something you spray on.'
So, it appears that Madeley has simply won the genetic lottery – an enviable position indeed. He added: 'I've been lucky enough to keep my hair, and that's important to men. All I know, because I look at other male presenters, is that if you're a man and you're lucky enough to have the genes that allow you to keep your hair, it can only be a plus.'
As for his feelings about reaching a milestone birthday, for which he is looking as fit as ever and still at the forefront of the news agenda, he is candid. 'Hmm. I definitely think I'm ageing, but I just think it's slightly less apparent because I'm always on television, so I'm ageing infinitesimally on camera,' he explained. In fact, he joked that he plans to follow in the footsteps of his brother-in-law, who is now in his early 80s and has been ignoring his birthday for over a decade. 'I have to say, he looks fantastic. He's active, fully engaged, fit, well, and he's put it all down to ignoring his birthdays.'
Given that Madeley has been in the public eye for so many years, he has had his fair share of wild stories to tell. As has his daughter, Chloe Madeley. In a dad-daughter appearance on Romesh Ranganathan's Parents Evening in December last year, Chloe revealed that her father's long-held policy of going commando has unfortunately left her with an eyeful. Red-faced, she shared: 'We had many, um, incidents with… You know. When I would walk into the kitchen late at night, and then immediately just walking straight back out again.'
