Inside Richard Keys' life now after returning to UK with wife who is 31 years younger

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Richard Keys has returned to the UK earlier than expected due to the ongoing tensions across the Middle East. The former Sky Sports presenter was due to depart Qatar upon the expiration of his beIN Sports contract but has landed back in England early amidst the current unrest.

Keys will become available on the broadcasting scene once again after leaving beIN, having spent 13 years working in the UAE alongside long-time presenting partner Andy Gray. While he has plenty of years under his belt with Sky Sports, a sexism scandal that broke alongside controversy surrounding his love life have made him a divisive figure in the industry.

The 68-year-old has also reunited with his long-distance wife Lucie Rose, whom he married in 2023 despite being 31 years her senior. The Telegraph reports that the couple are set to move in together following his return to the UK after sharing a long-distance relationship over the last three years.

Keys met his new wife in Qatar at a golf event and the pair have dealt with plenty of backlash for their age-gap relationship. The three-decade disparity isn't the only thing to grab headlines; the lawyer was friends with Keys' daughter Jemma and she refused to move to the Middle East, instead waiting until the presenter returned to the UK after leaving beIN.

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Keys married Lucie seven years after his divorce from Jemma's mother, Julia, whom he had been married to for 34 years. Julia reportedly discovered her husband's secret lover while she was recovering from thyroid cancer.

Keys claimed that Julia "had been in remission for seven years" before their marriage ended. He said: "I’ve never sat with anybody and talked about this, but I didn’t leave Julia dying of cancer, or suffering with cancer. Sadly, she had cancer in 2008 and ’09, and we ran into a genius surgeon who removed it."

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However, Julia throws these claims into doubt in her book, The MANScript, as she stated the "affair" had a major impact on the whole family. She wrote: "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."

Keys is said to have fallen out with Jemma following the alleged affair and reportedly exacerbated her battle with alcoholism. The Hollyoaks star previously described Lucie as a "friend," but her father denied the closeness of the pair to The Telegraph .

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He 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. All of which is nonsense.

"Lucie’s one of the most powerful, strong-minded individuals you’ll come across. She’s deeply passionate about women’s rights. People see me as an easy target, but the narrative is not fair on her. It’s totally wrong."

His former wife, Julia, filed for divorce on grounds of adultery back in 2016 after affair allegations first arose with the then-28-year-old lawyer. Speaking about his previous marriage, Keys added: "I never expected my marriage would end after 34 years, but Lucie bowled into my life and, wow, what a force of nature. And the rest is history."

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What lies next for Keys remains to be seen. He continues to run his blog but a return to a UK broadcaster appears unlikely given the scandal that saw him depart Sky.