Former rugby star James Haskell has shared that he went to Ibiza an excessive number of times shortly after his now ex-wife Chloe Madeley gave birth to their baby
James Haskell has admitted that he shouldn’t have spent so much time away from Chloe Madeley after she had just given birth to their baby(Image: Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
James Haskell has revealed his regret over how he behaved just after Chloe Madeley gave birth to their baby, saying: “Should I have been around more? Yes!”
The rugby star-turned-DJ, 41, was married to former Dancing On Ice contestant Chloe, who is the daughter of former This Morning stars Richard and Judy, from 2018 until 2023 and they are parents to daughter Bodhi.
Now, James has candidly discussed how Chloe might have felt about his busy career, his lack of interest in retirement and admitted that she should not have taken several trips abroad in a relatively short space of time just after she had given birth in 2022.
He said: “Did Chloe marry a rugby player that was playing for 11 months a year and having no weekends? Yes. Did she think when I retired that I was going to be around? I was always a workaholic, so that was always going to be tricky.
Speaking on the Nolans Uncensored podcast, he explained to Loose Women star Coleen Nolan: “I think for me, I’ve got a PA so everything is managed, and I have Bodhi 50%, well, 45.64% of the time.
“My weeks are all set up in advance so I always make time for her and everyone else. and I think if you want to make time for someone you will.
“I had 12 weeks in Ibiza just after Chloe had had a baby. Should I have done all of them? No? Should I have been around more? Yes! That was only one element of it. I now get to the point where actually I I’m very happy with work and life and stuff.”
James added that he recently surprised others by admitting to being an introvert but insisted that he is actually okay with finding joy in simple things now and is okay spending time alone.
“I’m actually a bit of an introvert and everyone went, ‘Oh f*** off!’ But the truth of it is, and this sounds like some bulls*** Hallmark thing on Instagram from some sort of yogi but I’m so happy and seeing a friend, having a good coffee, going for some breakfast, bit of sunshine, walking around.
“I’m so grateful for what I have and think I don’t need other things so I’m very satisfied, so I really kind of enjoy taking myself for breakfast a couple of times to a little cafe, or go to little places. I’m always in search of the best cup of coffee, and I just sit there on my own.”
The former I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! star previously noted that the fact he was away so much probably factored into the end of his marriage.
He said: “I had a lot of DJ gigs away. For the first time that part of my career was going well. I would stay out an extra night and wouldn’t come home, and I probably didn’t support her enough. I didn’t get that stuff right.”
James and Chloe’s separation after almost a decade together may have come as something as a surprise to fans, particularly as it was revealed shortly after they featured on their own ITV reality series, Chloe Madeley: A Family Affair.
Earlier this year, Chloe admitted that whilst things were all good now, that was not always the case when the pair started going through divorce proceedings. She said: “It’s fine now, but the divorce process has been incredibly emotional and volatile.
“We have weeks where everything’s fine and we get on really well. And then we have weeks where we don’t agree on something or someone gets frustrated or angry, and then we don’t speak.
At the time, she told The Sun that she has “a hard policy” on that now and that the reason she “left the marriage” was to avoid “big blowout rows.”
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