Louise Redknapp's split from Jamie - 'Strictly curse' to brutal realisation
Beaming Louise Redknapp has made her debut with her new man Drew Michael - leaving fans delighted for the mum of two who has always put her two sons first following her difficult split from ex-husband Jamie.
She told the Mirror just days after she was snapped stepping out from The Groucho Club in Soho in London with her businessman beau, nine years her junior, that "it's all good". Smiling, she added: "I’ve got nothing else to say on it, everything about it has already been written".
There have been plenty of eyes on her love life since the 48-year-old parted ways with the 50-year-old former footballer in 2017, who has since remarried with Frida Andersson, 38, and has had a baby with the model. But the Eternal star maintained staying single would be best for their boys.
“I’ve felt this as a mum and, to say this in the most sort of respectful way, my boys’ lives changed dramatically and then it changed again when obviously Jamie got married and had a family,” she said earlier this year. "Their life changed and I felt like I needed to be their one staple.” So what happened with her 19-year relationship with Jamie? Here we take a look.
Jamie and Louise Redknapp seen out shopping for baby clothes March 31, 2004 (Getty Images)
The former couple share children Charley and Beau (Instagram)From the get-go, Louise and Jamie were the hottest couple in showbiz. She was a hugely successful pop star and he was a talented Premier League footballer at the top of his game - much like the Beckham's love story. They tied the knot with a quiet ceremony in 1998, when Louise was just 23, while on holiday in Bermuda. Desperate to start a family, heartbreak followed for the pair as Louise struggled to get pregnant. She was diagnosed with endometriosis, which can make it harder to conceive.
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But six years later, the loved-up couple welcomed their first son, Charley, before welcoming Beau in 2009 to complete their family of four. Louise took a step back from the limelight to care for their children, while Jamie retired from the sport but carved out success as a presenter and pundit.
However their seemingly blissful homelife was rocked when Louise joined the line-up of Strictly Come Dancing in 2016, paired with professional partner Kevin Clifton. The pair hit it off instantly and their chemistry on stage was undeniable, landing them a place in the final of the hit BBC competition.
While their close bond was made light of by Louise, it didn't stop the 'Strictly curse' rumours from swirling, which reportedly annoyed Jamie. His pals, including James Corden, Freddie Flintoff and Jack Whitehall, relentlessly teased him about the so-called 'curse' - which has seen a number of celebs and their professional partners fall for each other during the show's history.
Louise dismissed the 'curse' rumours but came to a realisation about her life during the show (PA)
Jamie and Louise were together for almost two decades (Getty Images for Laureus)At the time Louise said: "I could see Jamie getting angrier and angrier with the jokes." She insisted nothing was going on between her and Kevin. But in the background, Louise had come to the painful realisation that her relationship with Jamie was over for another reason.
Just months after the show came to an end, the much-loved showbiz couple dramatically parted ways. She later admitted in an emotional interview that her appearance on the programme had made her re-evaluate her entire life. She had grown tired of being a "Stepford wife", striving to always be the perfect wife and mum.
She added: "I wanted kids so much, I was happy to put everything on hold for them." She came to terms with the fact that she had struggled with her husband's success in front of the cameras, and admitted that she missed performing. She said: "Standing by and watching Jamie become this entertainment star was pretty hard.
"I was proud of him, but there was part of me thinking, 'that's my world'. I could see the excitement he got out of it and I knew how that felt. But it wasn't me feeling it anymore." In October 2017, Louise confirmed they were living apart, before they filed for a divorced in the December.
Louise wanted to be a 'staple' in her sons' lives (Instagram)More than three years after their divorce, Louise opened up about how hard she found the end of her relationship and how she regretted not fighting harder to save it. Speaking to You magazine, the West End star explained: "I didn't want to lose too much of a good feeling. Before anyone could stop me, I just ran as fast as the wind would take me. I never once looked behind, until maybe too late. I should have paused for a minute and thought about other people and had just a bit more time to work out why I felt I couldn't do it anymore."
Devastatingly, she also revealed that she had suicidal thoughts, as she considered "stepping out in front of a bus" while she praised her fans for helping her through her darkest period. She wrote on Instagram: "It is very difficult opening up as there is so much judgement, lack of compassion and nasty comments in the world today but the one thing I’ve learnt over the last few years is that kindness really can go a long way! So to all of you that have reached out to me today thank you I will reply you as many of you as I can... you’ve all got this! Love Lou xxx." Reflecting on her Strictly journey, she credits the competition for her newfound confidence in her forties.
She described the show as her 'saviour', which saw her go on to relaunch her career with the new release of music and appearing in the West End. Describing her decision to leave Jamie and restart her career as the "first selfish thing I've done", she admitted that although nobody "understood", she felt like she'd finally "come back to who I really am".
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