Richard Madeley on heartbreaking abuse at the hands of his ‘angry’ father

Richard Madeley previously recalled the harrowing abuse he was subjected to by his own dad growing up.

The journalist and presenter has become one of the most recognisable faces on TV. Since shooting to fame, he has not stopped – appearing in the likes of This Morning and Romesh Ranganathan’s Parents’ Evening – which is on today (November 9).

However, as a child, Richard faced heartbreaking abuse at the hands of his dad.

Richard Madeley on father’s abuse

In an interview from 2008, Richard recalled the beatings he would get as a child from his father Christopher – who died in 1977 aged 49.

Talking to The Guardian, Richard shared how he was probably beaten around 25 times over the space of a year or two.

“The beatings varied in how long they went on for, but they never varied in the strength with which he delivered these blows, which was [bleep]ing hard. But it was quite a thin stick, so it wasn’t going to break anything except the skin,” he said.

‘He hit me till he stopped feeling angry’

Remembering his “angry” father, GMB star Richard continued: “Dad just lost it. He’d boil over, go out, get his [bleep]ing stick, come back in and hit me till he stopped feeling angry. I’m no psychiatrist, but I think he was expelling this poison that had seeped into his life. I was in the way and I got hit.”

Richard’s father said sorry

Richard went on to insist he never stopped loving his father, dubbing him a caring and good man.

After the final beating – when he was 10, for eating a packet of sweets – Richard’s mum Mary heard it and was left appalled. So much so, that she threatened to call the police and leave Christopher if he did it again.

A few days later, Richard’s father apologised and promised he wouldn’t hit Richard

“He told me how ashamed he was. And to make that promise and see me accept it at face value was his way out of that dark valley he’d stumbled into,” he said. Following his apology, Christopher didn’t hit his son again.

Watch Richard on Romesh Ranganathan’s Parents’ Evening on Saturday (November 9) at 9:05pm on ITV1. 

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