Richard Madly, 63, and his wife Judy Finnigan, 71, are part of the pantheon of power couples on daytime television. The couple first invited audiences into their familial setup in 1988 on this morning before going on to have their own popular daytime show Richard and Judy. Madeley is also a columnist and novelist, and he routinely steps in to present ITV breakfast show Good Morning Britain. Last year the tv personality shared another personal detail about his life, describing an incident that left’s him in excruciating pain.
The presenter revealed he popped a disc in his back in 1980. Recounting the events as they unfolded, Richard said: “I had just knocked out a brink fireplace in the Yorkshire cottage my first wife and I had moved into and piled all the rubble into a dustbin, right up to the brim.
“Then I hefted it onto one hip, which meant my spine twisted into an S-bend under the stupendous weight.”
Having suffered on and off since then, the daytime presenter claimed strictly come dancing would be off the cards.
“There’s one thing I can’t do – Strictly,” he explained.
“I know what would happen. I’d have to do a lift. And even if my partner was as light as a bird, my back would give way and I’d be sprawling on the ground on the live show.
According to the NHS, a slipped dick describes what happens when a soft cushion of tissue between the bones in your spine pushes out.
It is also medically known as a herniated disk.
It’s painful if it presses on nerves.
As the Mayo Clinic explained, most herniated disks occur in your lower back (lumbar spine), although they can also occur in your neck (cervical spine). The most common signs and symptoms of a herniated disk are:
Arm or leg pain – “If your herniated disk is in your lower back, you’ll typically feel the most intense pain in your buttocks, thigh and calf. It may also involve part of the foot,” explained the health site site.
If your herniated disk is in your neck, the pain will typically be most intense in the shoulder and arm. This pain may shoot into your arm or leg when you cough, sneeze or move your spine into certain positions, explained the health site.
Numbness or tingling – People who have a herniated disk often experience numbness or tingling in the body part served by the affected nerves, said the health body.
Weakness. “Muscles served by the affected nerves tend to weaken. This may cause you to stumble, or impair your ability to lift or hold items,” it added.
It usually gets better slowly with rest, gentle exercise and painkillers, explained the NHS.
Despite his ongoing pain, Madeley has remained in good spirits.
Commenting on his involvement in Strictly, he quipped: “There’s another reason, of course. I’d kill my family. With my very first dance. They’d die of embarrassment!”
