Richard Keys has insisted he did not leave his former wife while she was battling cancer, saying he “never expected” his 34-year marriage to end until he was “bowled over” by his current partner.
The former Sky Sports presenter, 68, separated from Julia in 2016 before beginning a relationship with Lucie Rose, who is 32 years his junior.
Speculation - largely circulating on social media - had suggested Julia was unwell at the time of their split, a claim Keys has firmly rejected.
“I’ve never sat with anybody and talked about this, but I didn’t leave Julia dying of cancer, or suffering with cancer,” Keys told The Telegraph. “Sadly, she had cancer in 2008 and ‘09, and we ran into a genius surgeon who removed it.
“During that period, we travelled 30 days straight to find the best specialists at the best hospitals, the best anaesthetists. I remember working at Arsenal on the day of the operation. It wasn’t that I was uninterested, I just didn’t want people to know she was unwell or to bring in the intrusion that would naturally follow.”
Keys also dismissed claims that Lucie, who was friends with his daughter Jemma, had been pressured into the relationship. The couple married in 2023.
Reflecting on the end of his first marriage, he said he had not anticipated it.
“I never expected” it to be over after more than three decades, “but Lucie bowled into my life” he said, describing her as “a force of nature”.
Addressing criticism surrounding their relationship, Keys said: “What’s damaging is that people presume I ran away with my daughter’s best mate, locked her in a room, and gave her no choice about whether she wanted to be with me or not.”
Here’s all we know about the presenter:
Who is Richard Keys?
The 68-year-old is a long-time sports presenter, best known for fronting Sky’s coverage of the Premier League and Champions League in the 1990s and 2000s.
He has enjoyed a long-term partnership with former player Andy Gray but the pair both left in inglorious circumstances over sexist comments in 2011.
While the pair were working on a game between Wolves and Liverpool, the female assistant referee Sian Massey made what was later proven to be a correct call.
But in a comment made while he thought the microphone was off, Keys disagreed, saying: “Somebody better get down there and explain offside to her.”
Gray replied: “Yeah, I know. Can you believe that? Female linesman. Forget what I said — they probably don’t know the offside rule.”
“Course they don’t,” added Keys.
Gray replied: “Why is there a female linesman? Somebody’s f*cked up big.”
Since departing Sky, Keys and Gray have worked for TalkSport and Al Jazeera.
He currently presents BeIN Sports coverage of the Premier League from their base in Qatar.
He previously wrote in his blog: “I’ve loved every minute of working and living in Qatar. It’s a gorgeous little country to whom I owe a great debt. My Qatari bosses have always been there for me — one in particular, who I now count as a close friend.
“Qatar is home — and I was proud to have been a defender of its right to take a place at football’s top table last December.”
