Judy Finnigan would 'happily' quit TV

Rex Features

Judy Finnigan has admitted that she would quit her TV career if she were not working alongside her husband Richard Madeley.

The couple, who recently filmed their final episode of Richard & Judy for Channel 4, are currently preparing for the launch of their new chatshow Richard & Judy's New Position, which will air on UKTV's Watch channel.

"Quite honestly, I'd be happy if I never did another day of TV in my life," Judy, 60, told the Daily Mail. "What I mean is I never imagined that I'd still be doing this job at my stage in life, and if I wasn't with Richard, if my marriage wasn't so connected to it, I probably wouldn't be. I'd have stepped down long since."

Asked if she is putting the needs of Richard, 52, before her own, she replied: "Anyone who knows me knows that I'd never do anything I didn't want to do, but when you are making these sorts of decisions as a couple, the outcomes are different than they would be if you were doing it on your own."

Richard and Judy signed the UKTV deal after turning down a number of other projects, including a reality TV show which would have seen the pair running a French vineyard.

"The schedule was too much. It would have meant too long away from the kids," Judy said. "I mean they are older now, and don't have the same needs, but you still want to be around."

Richard & Judy's New Position begins on October 7.