Trisha Goddard's life story is beset by sadness – but Piers Morgan couldn't break her

The probing, button-pushing host of Piers Morgan’s Life Stories (ITV) prides himself on making his subjects cry. Talk-show veteran Trisha Goddard was determined not to play ball. “Piers will be in charge as much as I allow him to be,” she said before settling into the interview hot seat. “It ain’t gonna be tears for Piers.”

Mascara might have remained unstreaked but this eventful hour still featured as much real-life drama as an entire series of her confessional TV shows. Goddard’s tumultuous story took in parentage secrets, racism, suicide bids, breast cancer and three failed marriages.

As her friend Rylan Clark-Neal said: “Trisha hasn’t just been there and got the T-shirt. She’s got the whole wardrobe.” Morgan put it more bluntly: “It’s nuts, your life.”

Looking frankly fabulous for 63, Goddard began by opening up about her difficult childhood. Raised by a Windrush generation mother and white father, she was darker skinned than the rest of her family and never fitted in. She eventually learned that her biological father was black but her mother took the secret of his identity to her grave, leaving Goddard with a profound sense of betrayal.

Her experiences of racism, from primary school bullying to online trolls, were heartbreaking to hear. Comedian Leigh Francis recently apologised for his offensive portrayal of Goddard in Noughties sketch show Bo Selecta but the damage was done. Her daughter Billie, who was in the studio audience, said it had “emboldened casual racism” and led to her suffering playground taunts too.

Her first marriage lasted less than a year. Husband Robert Nestdale, an Australian politician, was rumoured to be a closeted homosexual and died soon after their divorce. Nestdale claimed he had leukaemia but it turned out to be Aids. The couple had unprotected sex but thankfully, Goddard’s HIV test was negative. She felt sorry for him but added: “Putting my life on the line to cover up your secret? No.”

She split from second husband, TV producer Mark Grieve, after he had an affair. Pressures of work and single motherhood soon resulted in what Goddard called “an epic breakdown”. She attempted suicide and was sectioned, but recovered after a psychiatric nurse called Elaine (who Goddard thanked in person here) reminded Goddard that her two young daughters needed her.

Her third husband, psychotherapist Peter Gianfrancesco, helped pick up the pieces and get Goddard through breast cancer but they split amicably four years ago. After three marriages, was Goddard an incurable romantic? “No, I just like wedding cake,” she deadpanned, admitting she was difficult to live with.

Having been a TV presenter across three continents for the past 34 years, Goddard admitted she’d thrown herself into work at a high personal cost. “My career has made me rich but marriage has made me poor,” she laughed gamely. Don’t worry, though. She has enough money to own 800 pairs of designer shoes.

She concluded by discussing her experiences of mature dating. In summary? Not good, mainly due to mid-life men using deceptively flattering profile pictures. Goddard has now finally found “The One”, a mystery man known only as #Boo. “I haven’t rediscovered the joys of sex,” she grinned mischievously. “I’ve discovered it.”

Morgan had met his match. Goddard gave away only as much as she wanted. At one point, he was reduced to directly asking what might make her cry. She artfully dodged a few questions – notably the identity of her new partner – but with a life this eventful, it didn’t much matter. On the opposite side of the microphone for once, the admirable Goddard came across as a survivor, a thriver and force-of-nature whose spirit remains undimmed.

Quizmaster Morgan might not have induced the tears he so desperately craved – the closest Goddard came was when her sister Paula, who’d also survived breast cancer, sobbed and almost set her off – but in a strong series, this was still the standout interview so far.

Asked how she’d like to be remembered, Goddard simply said: “She was real.” “That’s exactly what you are,” concluded Morgan with genuine admiration. “You’re the real deal.”