GMB's Richard Madeley says his dad 'hit him with a stick' a lot during childhood

dailystar.co.uk:

Richard Madeley has revealed that he was hit a lot by his dad during his childhood.On Wednesday's Good Morning Britain (February 23), the TV host debated the new law coming into Wales which aims to prevent parents from smacking their children.During the chat, Richard said: "When I was a little boy I was hit quite a lot by my dad, who I love very much and he was a great father, but I was hit quite a lot."It was typical of the day, we are talking about the 1960s.

I was hit with a stick and reflecting on it now if it was outlawed then it wouldn't have broken the law."He then asked TV guest Rebecca Wilcox: "Is that one of the reasons with that knock-on effect, it would make parents them stop and think if this ban was introduced?"Rebecca is a journalist and daughter of Childline founder Miriam Wilcox.She then replied: "It's been proven if you make it illegal, it's a form of education, it's not about criminalising parents, but smacking has a negative impact on mental health all the way through childhood and adolescence."We need to evolve out of violence, you should not be smacking, discipline means teaching.

It is not about punishment. We do not want to create fear."This comes after Good Morning Britain fans were stunned by Richard's interview skills when chatting to John Barrowman.Viewers believe he asked the TV star a really "brutal" opening question when talking with him on GMB on Tuesday (February 22).The ex-Dancing on Ice judge starred on the morning show while sharing details about his upcoming tour and new presenting role on All Star Musicals.However, before John had a moment to explain his exciting news, Richard interrupted with an awkward question about the TV star's past.In 2021, John was accused of exposing himself.