GMB Host Richard Madeley Stunned As Prankster Co-Host Destroys Fake Marilyn Monroe Necklace

Good Morning Britain’s host Richard Madeley was left stunned after buying into a cleverly orchestrated April Fools prank that saw his co-host Charlotte Hawkins unthread Marilyn Monroe’s pearl necklace.

The segment started with coverage of Monroe’s possessions sold at a Hollywood auction over the weekend, including a black dress and her bras. Attention, however, quickly moved to the studio where the broadcaster had gained permission to showcase one of the items sold, a pearl necklace.

Reporter Marverine Cole introduced the piece: “Another item sending shops through the auction room is this pearl necklace given to her on her honeymoon by her husband, Joe DiMaggio. You may have noticed, actually, that we’ve got some security in the studio, and I would love to say it was for us… It was originally estimated around £275,000 but sold for just short of £700,000 to an anonymous bidder.”

Hawkins approached to try the jewellery on, as guest Jane warned: “I need to ask you not to touch the pearls.”

Madeley pulled out his phone and came close to catch a photo of his co-host, he said: “It would be awful if they unthreaded.”

As Jane attempted to fix the necklace to Hawkins the pearls unthreaded, as Madeley had predicted, and scattered across the studio, to the host’s shock.

“Richard! You made that happen!” Hawkins said.

As the awkward moment settled in, Madeley was interrupted by a breaking news story, cutting to Cole who revealled that the entire episode was a setup – the pearls were fake, and their “curator” Jane was, in fact, a skilled actress.