Richard Madeley made a tough admission during the latest episode of Good Morning Britain.
In a new Channel 5 documentary, titled Richard Madeley: Inside the World’s Mega Prison, the ITV presenter joined thousands of inmates at Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo (CECOT) – a controversial maximum security facility in El Salvador.
During Thursday’s (May 28) episode of GMB, Richard swapped places with Richard Arnold, as he was interviewed about his experiences in the prison.
Richard recalled a particularly tough moment he faced when he was shown horrifying footage of an execution.
Richard Arnold said, “Their crimes are absolutely heinous, and we’ve got a clip from last night’s episode, where you see footage of an execution, effectively, that is taking place. I don’t know, we’ll ask you in just a moment, how you shake that sort of image off.”
View 3 ImagesThe star made a tough admission(Image: ITV)
In the clip, Richard was given a phone which featured horrifying footage of the execution. “Holy cow, holy cow,” he said, before saying to the camera, “You don’t want to see this. Jesus Christ.”
Back in the GMB studio, Richard explained: “Well, basically, the guy that you saw with his t-shirt up, he was the executioner. He was recognisable in that video that they showed me. They made no attempt to hide their identities when they were committing these crimes, they were untouchable.
“I’ll be careful how much information I give this time of day, but basically, I was watching five men who were road workers, laying cables in El Salvador. They’ve strayed into a rival gang’s territory without seeking permission to come in there.
“For that alone, you would be executed. They didn’t realise it until they were apprehended by the gang.”
He added, “They were tied up, hands behind their backs. They were laid side by side, face down in the dirt, and the guy opposite me, recognisably him, turned up with his machete and executed them in full colour on camera. It was like an ISIS beheading.”
View 3 ImagesRichard entered a controversial prison in El Salvador(Image: Channel 5/X)
Charlotte Hawkins then asked: “How do you get over that?”
Richard candidly replied, “Well, I didn’t expect to see it. It was a bit of an ambush, actually. But I have to say, I’m glad that I did because it underlined the brutality of these guys and what they were doing for the country. In terms of [me], I’ll process it, I’ll get it through my synapses at some point.”
Elsewhere in the documentary, Richard gained insights into the living conditions the prisoners face, with bright lights on 24/7, no activities aside from reading the Bible, the same meal every day, and no hot water.
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He also spoke to the prison officers enforcing the tough regime, and faced first-hand the realities of life inside the facility, including tasting the food that the inmates have every day, looking inside the isolation room where they are frequently left in the dark for hours, and being left “sickened” when he hears of the crimes that led them there.
Richard Madeley: Inside the World’s Mega Prison is available to stream on Channel 5, while Good Morning Britain airs weekdays on ITV1 and ITVX at 6am