James Haskell has revealed what led to his divorce from Chloe Madeley, after she said their marriage ended in an “awful” and “dark” way.
In 2023, former rugby union player Haskell and personal trainer Madeley – the daughter of TV stars Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan – announced their relationship had come to an end in a joint statement. They married in 2018.
At the time, they said they would not be revealing the reason for the split – but Madeley went on to call the months leading up to their separation “incredibly scary”.
Haskell has now broken his silence on the subject, claiming that his drinking contributed to the breakup.
“If I put more time into my marriage than I did Guinness, then I wouldn’t be divorced now,” he told MailOnline at west London’s Pub in the Park festival.
“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 one year old when they broke up.
“What we all forget is when you have children and a marriage finishes, it’s all about the kids,” he continued. “Chloe and I are amazing co-parents. Our priority is always Bodhi.”
Madeley previously explained she wanted to avoid going into detail about the cause of the divorce to protect Bodhi from the “dark and painful experiences” she endured.
“When you tell people that you are divorcing, everyone sees it as such a negative thing,” she told The Sun, adding: ”They say: ‘This is going to be so hard for you.’ And, yes, it is, but the hardest bit was when we were married.”
Madeley said that “the last year of the marriage was awful”, stating: “It was so dark, painful, and one of the worst periods of my life. It’s a good thing we ended it.
“It was so incredibly scary. I’m amazed I got through it in the way that I did. I think more people should see it as a positive thing. I’m so proud of myself and so relieved that I actually called it a day.”
Madeley and Haskell’s joint statement, shared in October 2023, came shortly after the pair appeared on the ITV reality show Chloe Madeley: A Family Affair.
“Chloe and I mutually decided to separate at the end of September 2023,” it read. “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 continued: “Beyond this statement, we will not be speaking about this matter publicly, and we would request privacy at this time.
“Our sole focus now is our beautiful daughter. We shall continue to co-parent with nothing but love.”
In February 2023, Madeley revealed that she went back to work as a personal trainer just eight weeks after giving birth because she “needed the money”.
The trainer, who welcomed her daughter in August 2022, said while he her then-husband had a “great income”, they did not share a joint account and her “pride” moved her to return to work.
After splitting from Haskell, Madeley had a relationship with actor Danny Young – but the couple broke up when Chloe realised he wasn’t “ready to settle down”.
