Richard Madeley suspects his father was sexually abused

Richard Madeley has said he believes his father may have been sexually abused as a teenager at boarding school

The Good Morning Britain presenter made the speculation while discussing his experiences of being beaten by his father Christopher Holt Madeley with a cane as a child.

Madeley, 65, told The Sunday Times: "My father was basically f***ed up by boarding school. He was a very happy farmer's boy, but when he was 15 my grandparents discovered he had the beginnings of a girlfriend, which they thought the road to perdition, so they packed him off to this ghastly place."

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He added: "I have a strong suspicion he was sexually abused in some way. He never said that but there were some pointers along the way."

Madeley was discussing how his father used to beat him with a cane as a child.

He said: "That went on until I was about nine or ten and he went a bit too far, hit me too many times, and my mother had a word and that was that."

Madeley's father died aged 49 while Richard was on his honeymoon with his first wife Lynda Hooley.

The TV presenter previously told the Daily Mail: "The shock of being beaten with a cane — a long bamboo stick, part of a big bundle kept in the garden shed for supporting runner beans — was total.

"I could tell that they stemmed from a loss of control on my father's part. He had always been prone to losing his temper and shouting when I was naughty, but that no longer seemed enough for him.

"I must have known that the thrashings were excessive because I didn't mention them to anyone."

Madeley has previously credited his working relationship with wife Judy Finnigan, 73, on This Morning as the reason he’s never been accused of sexual misconduct.

He said: “Very early on I made the conscious decision that when I was in my dressing room, if anybody knocked on the door, I never let them in.

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“I’d open the door and keep it open with my foot, and it became a complete habit. We’d have the conversation on the threshold and in full view of the office. It was my iron rule and it is one I still follow on GMB.”

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