Louise Redknapp on leaving Jamie and how Strictly gave her confidence
LOUISE REDKNAPP says she decided to leave ex-footballer husband Jamie because their 20-year relationship left her feeling like a ‘Stepford Wife’.
The ex-Eternal singer said it was her decision to move out of their Surrey mansion after admitting she is jealous of Jamie’s TV success as a pundit for Sky Sports and panellist on Sky 1 show A League Of Their Own.
‘It’s hard because I love him. He’s an amazing man. He’s trying to understand that I do need to do this,’ she said.
‘People might think I’ve got everything but a sweeping staircase and designer handbag doesn’t do it for me. Being true to yourself, following your passion, they are the things that make you happy.’
‘I have no idea what is going to happen. All I know is this is something I need to do… for me,’ she added.
The singer, who has sons Charley, 13, and eight-year-old Beau, with Jamie, compared WAG life to the book and films The Stepford Wives, which sees husbands turn their spouses into robots.
The 42-year-old revealed: ‘I lost myself. Looking after my family was my reality. I became a sort of Stepford Wife, wanting to be perfect at it. It was only when I agreed to do Strictly I realised I couldn’t just go back to that,’ she said.
‘I wanted to perform in front of an audience. I felt physically sick at the idea that I’d never have that buzz again. That is when the s**t hit the fan,’ she added.
Louise, who at the weekend posted a video on Instagram of herself in red thigh-high boots, told The Sunday Telegraph: ‘Watching Jamie become this entertainment star was hard.
‘I was proud of him but there was part of me thinking, “That’s my world”. I could see the excitement he got out of it. I knew how that felt but it wasn’t me feeling it any more,’ said Louise, who stars in West End show Cabaret and is to release new music.
Author: Andrei Harmsworth
