James Haskell has opened up about his divorce from ex-wife Chloe Madeley as the former England rugby star revealed that he could have done more to save his marriage

James Haskell and Chloe Madeley in happier times (Image: Dave Benett/Getty Images)

James Haskell has candidly spoken about his divorce from Chloe Madeley as he shared some personal insights.

The former rugby star, 38, separated from the daughter of television icons Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan in 2023, after welcoming their child, Bodhi, the previous year.

Despite going their separate ways, James and Chloe have continued to show a united front when it comes to co-parenting their cherished daughter. Reflecting on his role in the marriage’s end, James admits that his fondness for a certain drink was a significant factor in their breakup.

Speaking to the Mail, he revealed: “If I put more time into my marriage than I did Guinness, then I wouldn’t be divorced now.”

He went on to say: “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,” reports Gloucestershire Live.

James and Chloe split a year after welcoming their first child(Image: undefined via Getty Images)

Addressing how they are managing the aftermath of the divorce as a family, he said: “What we all forget is when you have children and a marriage finishes, it’s all about the kids. Chloe and I are amazing co-parents. Our priority is always Bodhi.”

Remaining single, despite having been linked with advertising executive Helen Barclay and ex-Big Brother contestant Sara McLean, 35, earlier in the year, James has put romance on the back burner, focusing instead on “being the best dad in the best order”.

Meanwhile, he also opened up about coping with the recent loss of his father, saying: “We’ve lost the key cornerstone of our family, it’s a very emotional, difficult time.”

James Haskell has blamed one particular thing for his split from Chloe Madeley(Image: undefined via Getty Images)

He added: “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.”

Chloe has vowed to enjoy her newfound single status after splitting from James, describing their final year of marriage as “one of the worst periods of my life”. The TV star is avoiding the dating scene for now, having remained single since the breakup.

When asked by a fan on Instagram “What do you look for in a guy?”, Chloe jokingly replied: “I don’t [laughing emoji] I’m very happily committed to being and staying single [upside down smiley face emoji].”

Chloe appears to be happily embracing single life(Image: undefined via Getty Images)

After James was spotted with Sara McLean at the Cheltenham Festival, Chloe shared a cryptic message on social media. She posted a funny video of a sheep navigating with a bucket on its head, captioning it: “Me. It’s so nice in here.”

The subtitles read: “She’s at a place in her life where peace is a priority and negativity cannot exist. She is no longer matching energy.

“She is simply removing herself from any situation that doesn’t vibrate her soul. So if you start moving funny, she’s moving on.”

Chloe later returned to her Stories to share her contentment, saying: “I’ve been happier than I’ve been in years and I’m not emotionally involved in any way, shape or form with anyone else’s love life.”