Richard Madeley has finally spoken out about the night he thought he was about to lose his wife forever — revealing the terrifying moment Judy Finnigan began vomiting blood after taking what she believed was a harmless painkiller. 
The beloved television presenter has described the ordeal as one of the most frightening experiences of his life, after Judy, now 77, collapsed during the night following weeks of taking over-the-counter ibuprofen for a painful knee. Neither of them had any idea that the common medication was quietly destroying her stomach from the inside.
According to Judy’s own account, she had been taking the small blue capsules daily for just four weeks, unaware they were causing severe internal damage. Then, without warning, she woke in the middle of the night and began vomiting “copious amounts” of blood. What followed was a race against time. 
Richard later admitted that the sight of his wife bleeding so heavily left him convinced he was watching her die. An ambulance was called immediately, and paramedics arrived just in time to rush Judy to London’s Royal Free Hospital, where doctors discovered the shocking truth — she had developed four major stomach ulcers, one of which had formed directly above a main artery and had ruptured.
Doctors told the couple that if Judy had remained at home for even another hour, she could have completely bled out.
Judy underwent two emergency, life-saving blood transfusions and spent four days in hospital as specialists fought to stabilise her condition. A gastric consultant later identified ibuprofen as the “smoking gun” behind the sudden and catastrophic internal bleeding. 
Speaking about the ordeal, Judy has said the episode came “totally out of the blue” and that she had never experienced anything like it before — and hopes she never will again. Richard, meanwhile, has never hidden how shaken he was by watching his wife come so close to death through something they both believed to be safe.
The couple, married since 1986, have always been seen as one of British television’s most enduring partnerships, and this near-fatal scare only deepened the bond between them. Friends say Richard barely left Judy’s bedside throughout her hospital stay, fearing every moment that complications might return. 
Now fully recovered, Judy says she feels “absolutely fine” but has become fiercely outspoken about warning friends and family against careless use of ibuprofen. Her consultant, she revealed, believes the drug should no longer be available over the counter.
Ibuprofen is widely used across the UK for everything from back pain to headaches, but medical experts warn it can cause stomach bleeding, ulcer formation, kidney problems and even heart complications in a small percentage of patients — risks many people underestimate.
For Richard, however, the statistics mean nothing compared to the memory of that night. A simple painkiller, a painful knee — and suddenly his life with Judy was hanging by a thread.
It is a moment that still haunts him, a reminder of how fast everything can change, and why he now says there are times when nothing matters more than being by the side of the person you love most.