Judy Finnigan has talked up the value of reading during the lockdown ahead of her return to Channel 4 for a programme which will recommend good books to read during the pandemic.
Finnigan and husband Richard Madeley are set to host Richard & Judy: Keep Reading And Carry On, which starts next week.
She told BBC Radio 2: “I think during a time like this, when everybody is feeling anxious and worrying when it’s all going to be over, and if everyone’s going to be alright, it’s just wonderful to read because it takes you completely out of all that.
“It’s a complete escape and I think lockdown probably does encourage that.”
She added that while she is not able to get to bookshops at the moment, she has been going back over “stuff that I haven’t read for about five years or something”.
Madeley added that the lockdown has “affected the way that we think and see things”.
He said: “So I’m re-reading books that I read maybe two or three years ago and I’m actually getting a very different vibe out of them and it’s actually speaking to me in a very different way.”
Finnigan added that while she does not really want to do any more television presenting, “I did this because Channel 4 approached us and it seemed very interesting, because I love reading and that’s my thing”.
Their new programme will see the pair return to Channel 4.
Their chat show Richard & Judy was last aired by the broadcaster in 2008.
Richard & Judy: Keep Reading And Carry On begins on May 4 at 5.30pm.