THE REAL ME
Broadcaster and novelist Judy Finnigan, 75, lives in North London with husband Richard Madeley, 67
What are you like in the morning?
Slow and sleepy. I’m not a natural early riser. I’ve always hated mornings. When I was doing This Morning and having to be up at 6am, it was not easy. Now I’m back to a much more relaxed schedule.
What’s your worst habit?
My husband will probably say that I’m not tidy but that’s because he is compulsively tidy. I am quite untidy and he can’t stand anything – even a book or a cup – on a table, it has to be tidied up straight away.
If you were at home alone, what would you do?
I’d read. I read all the time, either in the garden if the weather is fine or in our TV room or in bed. It’s my favourite thing. I do it both for work with the book club and as a hobby.
Who or what makes you happy?
My family. My children and now my grandchildren are the most important things in the world to me. When we’re all together it’s absolutely my happiest time.
What scares you the most in life?
Anything happening to any of my kids. The idea of a serious illness or an accident happening to one of your children is worse than the idea of it happening to yourself. That’s what scares me the most.
Do you have any regrets?
I don’t think so. Life is a long process of making decisions, isn’t it? You have to make decisions about everything and once you’ve made them, then regret is just not worth it. It’s just a complete waste of energy. I mean, you make the decisions, you make them as well as you can and you live with them.
What are the best and worst things about getting older?
I think that you are able to put things into perspective when you’re older, you have fewer practical worries about your job or money. When you get to my stage of life, most of that’s resolved. But the worst thing about ageing is that you do not have as much time ahead of you. It’s just starting to hi
