Richard Madeley Hints at New Project with Judy

 has revealed his plans to work with wife Judy Finnigan on a new project for the first time in five years - and nearly four decades after their on-screen debut.

The TV presenter appeared on 's self-titled show on Tuesday as he teased the duo would once again be teaming up. 

Richard, 70, who has been married to Judy, 78, since 1986 - first rose to fame alongside his wife as the hosts of 's This Morning in the 1980s and 1990s. 

The married couple waved goodbye to their hosting gig on the show in 2001, before going on to launch their own chat show on . 

The chat show ran until 2009, with Richard and Judy then making rare appearances together on screen - with their last project hitting the airwaves in 2020. 

The couple featured together on Channel 4 show, Richard & Judy: Keep Reading and Carry On, in 2020 - months after making a guest appearance on This Morning. 

Sitting down with Vanessa, 64, Richard revealed that fans wouldn't have to wait much longer, however, for the duo's next project together. 

Nearly 17 years after their last major TV series together, Richard explained that the couple were planning to launch a new podcast. 

He said: 'We've had a conversation with a very good producer friend of ours, an ex-editor of This Morning, Nick, and we've kicked a few ideas around. It's in the air, it's a possibility.'

Richard ruled out the duo ever heading back to TV, however, saying: 'Judy was a very reluctant TV star, she wasn't really interested in all the fripperies, and, kind of if you like, the benefits of a successful TV career on camera. 

'She couldn't care less about it, in fact she didn't like it very much. She liked the job.

'Sometimes people say 'would you like to come back and do something else as a husband and wife presenting team?' We've finished that picture, done that painting, it's on the wall, it's finished. And she doesn't want to.'

In 2014, Judy came under fire during a Loose Women discussion about whether disgraced footballer Ched Evans should be allowed to return to Sheffield United.

Judy made provocative claims about the situation as she said the footballer should get his job back because the victim was 'drunk' and the rape was 'unpleasant' but 'not violent.'

After sparking a ferocious public backlash in which hundreds complained online about the 'disgusting' and 'damaging' remarks, she was eventually forced to 'apologise unreservedly' for the offence she had caused.

The former Wales international player was jailed for five years in 2012 after raping a 19-year-old woman at a hotel near Rhyl, Denbighshire, but was released from jail two years later.

Outraged X users then began to troll Judy and Richard's daughter, Chloe Madeley, who was soon tormented with vile rape threats.

Her father warned the trolls that 'prosecution awaits' for making rape threats against his daughter after she stepped in to defend the controversial comments.

He added that he had noted every troll threat, and those who threatened rape on her were in 'deep trouble'. Scotland Yard said they were not aware of any complaints made to police.

Calls were made from viewers for Judy to leave the show, but ITV told Daily Mail at the time she would remain. She went on to leave the panel in the following months.

Richard also opened up about meeting Judy for the first time when they first worked at Granada Television - and how a shared taxi led to their nearly 40-year marriage.

Recalling their meeting, Richard revealed that the two didn't fall in love for over a year and had a longstanding professional relationship before their romance. 

He continued: 'After about 14 months we were sent away to Blackpool to record some promotions for the forthcoming series of Granada Reports because it used to go off air for the summer.

'We spent the whole day in Blackpool together and we ended up having dinner together - the crew went back to Manchester and we stayed on and had dinner, and something happened over dinner. 

'Suddenly, there was a kind of gear shift. It's very hard to describe but there was a moment where we thought, both of us thought, 'This isn't how it was 10 minutes ago, what's going on here?'.

'And then we got a taxi back to Manchester from Blackpool and things transpired in the taxi is all I can say. 

'We decided after a very short period of time – we were both going through divorces at the time and they had been going on for a long time - and we both decided we wanted to be together and here we are.'

Judy has taken a break from presenting duties in recent years, while Richard has become a regular presenter on Good Morning Britain.

Richard was previously married to Lynda Hooley before the duo divorced in 1983, while Judy had been married to David Henshaw. 

Judy had two children when she married Richard, sons Tom and Dan Henshaw, before the couple welcomed two further children, Jack and Chloe Madeley.