James Haskell has opened up about the breakdown of his marriage to Chloe Madeley, admitting his relationship with alcohol played a significant role in their split.
The former rugby star, 40, separated from influencer Madeley, 37, in October 2023 after five years of marriage.
He has now revealed that his drinking habits contributed to them calling time on their relationship, which ended shortly after the birth of their daughter, Bodhi, who is now one.
“If I put more time into my marriage than I did Guinness, then I wouldn’t be divorced now. It was a difficult period,” he told the Daily Mail.
Despite the separation, he said he and the daughter of TV presenters Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan remain united in co parenting their daughter.
“It’s one of those things in life — some things don’t work out. But I have so much love for my daughter and Chloe,” he added. “It’s teamwork.”
During the interview, the former I’m A Celebrity star also reflected on the recent loss of his father, Jonathan, who died after a long illness.
“He was an amazing man,” he told the publication. “He always encouraged me to work. Every time I asked, ‘Shall I take a day off?’ he would rather I worked.”
The Windsor born athlete described his late father as the “key cornerstone of our family,” adding that losing him had been a “very emotional, difficult time.”
While he has since started dating again, he confirmed that he is currently single, having dated advertising executive Helen Barclay and Big Brother star Sara McLean, 35, earlier this year.
The former England player says he is now focussing on his family, describing his daughter as “the most important thing” in his life.
He and McLean split in March, just two days after going public with their relationship.
The couple were spotted enjoying a day at the races after attending the second day of Cheltenham Festival.
However, sources later revealed the pair were “on the rocks” — a situation complicated by an unintended photo that caused tension.
An insider told The Sun: “James isn’t really in the settling-down stage just yet. He wasn’t really ready to go public with Sara, to be honest.
“They’d had a couple of drinks, got touchy-feely, and then got photographed holding hands, which James wasn’t thrilled about.
“They had a bit of a lovers’ tiff and, right now, it’s fair to say they’re not officially boyfriend and girlfriend.”
