Madeley helps writer realise dream

Richard Madeley has reportedly helped a struggling Cornish author to secure a breakthrough publishing deal after recommending her work.

The TV presenter was on holiday when he was handed the script by Ruth Saberton's mother-in-law, who runs the shop in the village where Madeley and his wife Judy Finnigan have a holiday house.

Saberton, 37, from Polperro, was on the verge of giving up her dream of getting Katy Carter Wants A Hero into print when she received a call from the Madeley.

"He lugged all 500 pages back to his house nearby, read it and rang me on the same day," she told the BBC. "He said he and his wife Judy had read some of it to each other and it had made them laugh out loud. I was quite stunned to think that someone so busy and famous would take the time to read it."

Madeley wrote a review of the book which Saberton included in submissions to publishers and three months later she got a book deal. Madeley said he initially had no intention of scanning the script.

"I was just being polite because Judy and I get inundated with manuscripts and unpublished books," he revealed. "On this occasion - maybe I was in the right kind of mood - but I thought I'll just take a look at it and break the rule. I spent the morning and afternoon reading the whole thing. It was such a good, funny read."