Richard Keys has returned to the UK earlier than anticipated due to escalating tensions across the Middle East. The ex-Sky Sports presenter was scheduled to leave Qatar at the end of his beIN Sports contract this summer, but has returned to England prematurely amid the current turmoil.

Keys spent 13 years working in the UAE alongside long-standing presenting partner Andy Gray. Despite his extensive experience with Sky Sports, a sexism scandal coupled with controversy surrounding his personal life have rendered him a contentious figure within 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 report that the couple are planning to cohabit following his return to the UK after maintaining a long-distance relationship over the past three years. Keys met his new wife at a golf event in Qatar, and the pair have faced considerable criticism for their age-gap relationship.

The three-decade difference isn’t the only aspect to attract attention; the lawyer was friends with Keys’ daughter Jemma, and she declined to relocate to the Middle East, opting instead to wait until the presenter returned to the UK after leaving beIN.

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Keys wed Lucie seven years following his divorce from Jemma’s mother, Julia, to whom he had been married for 34 years. Julia allegedly uncovered her husband’s secret relationship while recuperating from thyroid cancer.

Keys maintained that Julia “had been in remission for seven years” before their marriage collapsed. 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.”

Nevertheless, Julia challenges these assertions in her book, The MANScript, as she claimed the “affair” had a profound effect on the entire 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 become estranged from Jemma following the alleged affair, and this reportedly worsened her struggle with alcoholism. The Hollyoaks actress previously characterised Lucie as a “friend,” but her father refuted the closeness of their relationship to The Telegraph.

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 emerged with the then-28-year-old lawyer. Discussing his previous marriage, Keys said: “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.”

What the future holds for Keys remains uncertain. He continues to operate his blog but a comeback to a UK broadcaster seems improbable given the controversy that led to his departure from Sky.

He did maintain there’s “a whole lot more to come yet,” essentially dismissing retirement. As for his private life, he’s concentrated on ultimately settling permanently with Lucie at their west London property.