ITV bosses 'separated' Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan after romance exposed

Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan have candidly shared the tale of their separation by Granada bosses after their clandestine office romance came to light.

In their brand-new Channel 5 documentary, "Richard and Judy: Our Best Bits - In Our Own Words," the beloved pair offer viewers a glimpse into their illustrious television journey, charting their rise from individual careers to becoming one of the nation's most cherished presenting duos, notably leading This Morning for a remarkable thirteen years.

The documentary sees them reflect on the moment their affection for each other was realised, which occurred "in the darkness" of a taxi ride when "something shifted" Judy confides to the audience, "Nothing happened not for a long time after that. It was just, our perceptions of each other changed."

Their love story, once shrouded in secrecy, blossomed into marriage in 1986. Dianne Nelmes, former TV executive and producer, reminisces in the film about initially dismissing the speculation surrounding Richard and Judy's relationship.

She admits: "Rumours started that Richard and Judy were having an affair and I simply didn't believe it. I remember at one point I got a few journalists together and read the riot act and said, 'Will you stop all this gossip - they've got a great chemistry on screen and they are just good friends, so stop it'. Well, I never live that down."

Richard Madeley disclosed the challenges he and Judy Finnigan faced early in their careers, with bosses showing "jealousy, resentment [and] disapproval" towards their partnership. He said: "They separated us, professionally, and that went on for, even after we got married in 1986. Even then, that somehow wasn't enough.", reports the Mirror.

Despite being a couple, Richard and Judy were made to work separately within the same company, except for a rare occasion when they co-hosted ITV's Telethon. It was during this event that executives were pondering over the perfect duo to front a new daytime chat show, which would eventually be known as This Morning.

Richard recounted the pivotal moment that led to their big break: "Suddenly one of them, Steve Morrison, the managing director, looked at the TV which had been flickering away for the last 15 hours, and there's me and Judy presenting together. And he went... 'Them! '".

He continued, revealing the aftermath of that decision: "'They're married. They've got kids. They're a real couple, them. And they all went, 'yeah! ' It was a kind of lightbulb moment. The next day, we got separate calls from the bosses asking if we'd like to do a pilot for this show, This Morning. It was only because of the Telethon, otherwise we'd not have been asked."

Whilst they were co-hosting the show, Richard and Judy also had to juggle their parenting duties to their young children Chloe, 36, and Jack, 38. Judy also has two older children from her previous marriage to David Henshaw.

The couple are now proud grandparents to five grandchildren, including Chloe's daughter who will be turning two next month, and Jack's two children.