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By TARA ANSON-WALSH, FOOTBALL REPORTER Published: 01: 01 AEDT, 30 March 2026 | Updated: 01: 01 AEDT, 30 March 2026 13 View comments Lucie Rose, the wife of Richard Keys and 31 years his junior, has spoken publicly for the first time about her marriage to the controversial former Sky Sports presenter. Rose, 37, a partner in private funds at one of New York’s largest law firms, has taken issue with being labelled a 'trophy wife' and 'gold digger'. On their 31-year age gap, Keys said: 'It baffles people, but I don’t feel it. I never have, ' with Rose replying: 'That’s because you’re my adult toddler. ' Their relationship first came to light in 2016, when reports claimed Keys was having an affair with Rose, then a young lawyer and a close friend of his daughter Jemma, while his wife Julia was undergoing treatment for thyroid cancer. Keys and Rose met in Qatar, where he had been living for 13 years until recently and where Rose was working for the Qatar Investment Authority, the country’s sovereign wealth fund. The couple went on to marry in 2023. In a revealing interview with The Telegraph, Keys disputed the claim that he left Julia while she was seriously ill, saying: 'I didn’t leave Julia dying of cancer, or suffering with cancer'. Lucie Rose (right) opened up on her marriage to 'adult toddler' Richard Keys in a new interview with The Telegraph Keys worked for be IN SPORTS for the last 13 years in Qatar - where he met Rose while she was working for the Qatar Investment Authority, the country’s sovereign wealth fund '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, ' the 68-year-old said. In 2011, Keys resigned from Sky Sports after making derogatory comments about female referee Sian Massey-Ellis and other women in the industry. Thinking his microphone had been switched off, he said: ‘Somebody better get down there and explain offside to her (Massey). ’ He was also heard saying of West Ham vice-chair Karren Brady: 'See charming Karren Brady this morning complaining about sexism? Yeah. Do me a favour, love. ' Amid the fallout, a clip also emerged of him using vulgar language towards Jamie Redknapp, asking the former Liverpool and Tottenham player, 'Did you smash it? ', in reference to his love life. Asked about the episode more than a decade on, Rose said: 'For me, the most important thing is people’s ability to change and evolve. If I had met someone who was trying to justify that culture, there wouldn’t have been anywhere for us to go. 'But that wasn’t the person I met. I met someone who was traumatised, to an extent, by the culture he lived through. Except somehow he is marked as being the cause of it. I don’t think that’s fair – it’s not who he is. ' Meanwhile Julia said Key's affair with Rose ruined the career of her Hollyoaks actress daughter as she spiralled into alcoholism and depression. Jemma also faced legal action over a string of abusive texts she sent to her former friend before charges were dropped by prosecutors. Julia, who stuck by Keys when he resigned from his role with Sky Sports in 2011, previously released her own infidelity survival guide called The MANScript following their separation. Keys with his ex-wife Julia (left) and daughter Jemma (right) in 2007. Lucie was a friend of Jemma's In the book, which was published in 2018, she shared several details about the split. 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. ' In this latest interview, Keys also opened up on his desire to become a father again, despite being nearly 70. 'If something of that nature happened, I would be a very, very happy man, ' he said. 'I’ve looked around at men my age who have entered the fatherhood phase for a second time, and they all seem to be a lot more relaxed. 'They’re more understanding of the role they have. I’ve come to the conclusion that when you’re in your 20s, 30s, you’re pushing your shoulders to the wheel and you haven’t got time to be a good father. I’ve got plenty of time. '
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