Richard Keys has hit back at claims that he left his wife during her cancer battle for his daughter’s friend, three decades his junior.
The former Sky Sports presenter, 66, tied the knot with 35-year-old Lucie Rose, who was said to be his daughter Jemma’s friend.
The pair were spotted in Kingswear, Devon on Saturday, in what appeared to be an intimate outdoor ceremony, as the bride wore a lavish, floral, white wedding dress with a long veil, taking her vows next to Keys in a light grey suit.
Jemma, nor Keys’ ex-wife Julia or their son Josh were presenter, and it was later revealed that Julia had only been told two hours before the ceremony that they were getting married.
As reports around his new marriage swirled, it was claimed that Keys left his wife during her battle with cancer, and had an alleged affair with Lucie, which he has always denied.
And he has now further blasted the rumours.
Writing in his blog, he said: ‘When my first marriage collapsed my wife was not suffering with cancer.
‘She’d been seven years in remission after a dreadful scare – one she managed with dignity and bravery.
‘And I was with her every step of the way. She is still very much alive and well, although it is true that cancer sufferers always need to be careful about their health.’
He elsewhere added that the breakdown of his first marriage didn’t ‘wreck’ his children’s lives, who at the time were aged 28 and 32.
Keys added: ‘Lucie was never my daughters’ friend – let alone her best friend. They met twice.
‘The circumstances don’t matter – at this stage. That’s something else I’ll address going forward.’
In April 2018, Julia wrote about her husband’s alleged affair in her book The MANScript, saying, according to Mail Online: ‘Richard’s affair didn’t just devastate my world, but the world of our children Jemma and Josh too.
‘It is only now, two years on, that he has admitted he did have an affair with Lucie, as well as acknowledging his deceit and the damage it has caused.’
That same year, Jemma spoke about her mum discovering WhatsApp messages from Lucie on Keys’ phone while they were on holiday.
She then bombarded Lucie with abusive messages referring to her as ‘the filthiest s**t’, and one which warned: ‘I’m watching every move you make. You don’t know what’s coming.’
Jemma later said she sent the messages in a state of ‘alcoholic blackout’, and was later charged with harassment, but the case was dropped.
Keys addressed the situation in his blog, saying: ‘It was Lucie that decided not to pursue Jemma’s disgusting and threatening text messages.
‘She dropped the charges because the case was hurting me and would only have caused Jemma more harm.
‘It was not the CPS that decided to drop it.’
Keys also addressed his resignation from Sky Sports in 2008, saying: ‘Mistakes were made at the time and I’ve addressed them previously.’
Why did Richard Keys leave Sky Sports?
Keys and his co-pundit Andy Gray were involved in a sexism scandal in which they were heard making derogatory comments about female referee Sian Massey.
They later apologised, after a leaked audio tape heard them refer to female assistant referees.
Keys had said: ‘Somebody better get down there and explain offside to [Massey].
Gray replied: ‘Yeah, I know. Can you believe that? Female linesman. Forget what I said – they probably don’t know the offside rule.’
Keys then said ‘Course they don’t,’ to which Gray replied: ‘Why is there a female linesman? Somebody’s f***** up big.’
Keys later apologised for his comments, but a second video later emerged of Gray talking to pitch-side reporter Andy Burton, in which he crudely referred to Massey’s appearance.
In another leaked clip, Keys and Gray used inappropriate comments towards colleague Charlotte Jackson, in which Gray asked her: ‘Charlotte, can you tuck this [microphone pack] down here for me love… Tuck this down here.’
Gray was sacked in January 2011, with Keys resigning the next day.
Keys later said: ‘Prehistoric banter isn’t acceptable in the modern world. I accept that. We failed to change when the world has changed. We wholeheartedly apologise for our behaviour. It was wrong. I deserve to be battered. I can stand up and take a beating. I’m not sorry for me, I’m sorry for Sian Massey.’
Gray also said: ‘If off-air conversations of television and radio presenters were recorded, there would be no one left working. That is not to defend what happened.’
The pair later appeared in a Piers Morgan Uncensored interview, 12 years after their departure.
During the chat, Keys said he ‘regretted’ his comments, and added: ‘In isolation, my questioning whether she knew the offside law was unacceptable.’
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