James Haskell has admitted his drinking was one of the reasons his marriage to Chloe Madeley broke down, after she said the months leading up to their split were “dark and painful”
James Haskell has revealed the truth behind his divorce from Chloe Madeley, describing the end of their marriage as “awful” and “dark”.
The former England rugby player split from personal trainer Madeley, who is the daughter of television personalities Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan, in 2023, five years after the were married. Initially, they decided to keep the reasons for their separation private, but Madeley later described the time leading up to their parting as “incredibly scary”.
Haskell has now spoken out, admitting his drinking was the key factor in their split.
“If I put more time into my marriage than I did Guinness, then I wouldn’t be divorced now,” he confessed to MailOnline while at Pub in the Park festival in west London.
“It’s one of those things in life where some things don’t work out, but I have so much love for my daughter and Chloe. It’s teamwork.”
Their daughter Bodhi was just one year old at the time of their breakup, which was announced in a joint statement.
“What we all forget is when you have children and a marriage finishes, it’s all about the kids,” he added. “Chloe and I are amazing co-parents. Our priority is always Bodhi.”
Madeley previously refused to delve into the reasons for her divorce, expressing that she wanted to protect her child, Bodhi, from the “dark and painful experiences” she went through. Speaking to The Sun, she remarked: “When you tell people that you are divorcing, everyone sees it as such a negative thing,” before clarifying: “They say: ‘This is going to be so hard for you.’ And, yes, it is, but the hardest bit was when we were married.”
She candidly shared that “the last year of the marriage was awful” adding: “It was so dark, painful, and one of the worst periods of my life. It’s a good thing we ended it.”
Haskell has also spoken about the recent death of his father, Jonathan, which was announced on Saturday after a long illness.
He said: “We have lost the cornerstone of our faamily. He was an amazing man. He always encouraged me to work.
“Every time I said to him, ‘Shall I take a day off?’ he would rather I worked.”
The announcement of Haskell and Madeley’s separation came via a joint statement from Madeley and Haskell in October 2023, following their appearance on the ITV show Chloe Madeley: A Family Affair. They declared: “Chloe and I mutually decided to separate at the end of September 2023,” further stating, “We had not planned on releasing a statement at this time – certainly not while the television show was airing – but constant speculation about our marriage has, unfortunately, forced our hand.”
She went on to affirm: “Beyond this statement, we will not be speaking about this matter publicly, and we would request privacy at this time.”
The couple emphasised their daughter’s wellbeing, saying: “Our sole focus now is our beautiful daughter. We shall continue to co-parent with nothing but love.”
In February 2023, Madeley disclosed that she returned to her job as a personal trainer merely eight weeks post childbirth due to financial necessity.
The fitness expert, who gave birth to her daughter in August 2022, stated that despite her then-husband’s substantial earnings, they didn’t have a joint account and her sense of “pride” propelled her back to work.
Haskell has also revealed he’s now single, having dated advertising executive Helen Barclay and Big Brother star Sara McLean, 35, earlier this year.
The sportsman said he’s not currently on the search for his next partner, insisting his priority is “being the best dad in the best order”.
Haskell split from Sara in March – two days after going public with their relationship.
