Richard Madeley has revealed that he needed stitches in his tongue after a freak accident, explaining his absence from Good Morning Britain. The 66-year-old presenter returned to the ITV show on Monday, where co-host Susanna Reid welcomed him back, noting he appeared to have made a full recovery.
Madeley explained that he had been talking with a lisp for some time after the incident. He described how he was crouching by his car when the door closed on him, causing him to bite his tongue. “I turned around just as the door decided to close itself, gravity pulled it shut,” he said. “It’s a big heavy door and it hit me on the chin and I really bit my tongue, to the extent I needed an op, I had to have some stitches in it.”
The broadcaster went to hospital and received three stitches. He joked that he had not been sacked, as one magazine reported. Reid described the injury as “horrible” but declined further details when Madeley suggested they not go into more detail.
Ed Balls had been filling in for Madeley in recent weeks. On Sunday, Reid teased his return on Instagram, posting a photo with the caption: “HE’S BACK! Tomorrow @richardmadeleyofficial returns to @gmb.”
