Richard Madeley's health - 'slowing down' at work, dementia struggle and GMB ordeal

Good Morning Britain host Richard Madeley sparked concern from fans after going missing from the ITV breakfast show due to illness.

His co-star Kate Garraway confirmed Richard was feeling “poorly” last week, and shortly after returning to the programme Richard admitted he is “slowing down” when it comes to his workload. While chatting to Olympian Max Whitlock, Richard mentioned coming to a “hard stop” in your career.

He said: "So many careers don't have a hard stop – you continue to progress, or you just slowly, quietly – as I'm doing – filter to a stop. But how do you manage the hard stop?"

Fans picked up on the quip on social media, with one X user writing: "Did Richard say he's retiring in that #Olympics segment? Wonder how long he'll stay on #GMB for then..."

Richard and his famous wife Judy Finnigan confessed they “constantly worry about dementia” as they advance in years. Writing for The Express, Judy admitted: “We’re constantly checking ourselves.

“Is forgetting why we just opened the fridge an early warning sign? Or mislaying the car keys? Or struggling to remember if it was William Hague or Ian Duncan Smith who took over from John Major as Tory leader? Of course, generally it’s others – family, friends or colleagues – who make that first, hesitant diagnosis.”

She added: “If either of us ever thinks dementia has come knocking at the door, it will be a case of, ‘Run, don’t walk, to the doctor.’”

Richard, meanwhile, added to The Guardian: “Dementia frightens me in ways death doesn’t. These days forgetting things comes with a pang of panic. So far, I seem to have avoided it, but the worry won’t go away."

Richard was a smoker until he finally quit the habit aged 40 – and blames cigarettes for his father’s premature