Jack Whitehall mocks bizarre rumour that Richard Madeley is secretly his father

Jack Whitehall has laughed off the odd rumour that presenter Richard Madeley is secretly his father.

The rumour has been around for over a decade and started on an online forum after Whitehall presented Big Brother’s Big Mouth in 2008.

Earlier this month the comedian, 34, appeared on Good Morning Britain with Madeley, 66, which sparked fresh chatter.

Addressing the rumours in a new chat with Heat magazine, Whitehall said: “Richard seemed very flattered by that idea, didn’t he? But yes, that was genuinely a rumour.

“When I was hosting Big Brother’s Big Mouth back in the day, there was a rumour on one of those online forums that I was Richard Madeley’s son.

“Maybe because I looked like his real son?

Madeley and wife Judy Finnigan are parents to daughter Chioloe, 35, and a son also named Jack, 36.

Whitehall recently starred alongside his actual father, Michael Whitehall, 82, in the Netflix series Travels With My Father.

His latest interview comes after he revealed his girlfriend Roxy Horner collapsed at the Brit Awards in 2021 while he was hosting the ceremony.

He revealed that Horner was rushed to hospital following the incident, when he had been hosting the annual ceremony and discovered she had “Type 1 diabetes that night.”

Horner, who has since gone on to raise awareness about the disease, said of Whitehall, who she’s been with for three years: “Jack’s been my absolute rock, he’s so lovely.”