Louise Redknapp has opened up about her separation from husband Jamie, suggesting it, in part, triggered after they disagreed about expanding their family.
Footballer turned TV presenter Jamie allegedly wanted a third child, to join the pair’s two sons: Charley, 13, and Beau, eight.
Meanwhile Louise – a 42-year-old singer and media personality who was once in 90s band Eternal – reportedly wanted to spend more time working, after spending years devoted to her family.
“I didn’t want to continue running around after everyone else, and occasionally promoting a yogurt or doing a little TV presenting job.
“I wanted to sing, I wanted to perform… And that is when the [bleep] hit the fan,” she told Stella magazine.
The split was seemingly confirmed in an interview on This Morning on September 29, during which Louise – who is currently performing in the musical Cabaret – admitted the couple were concentrating on their children.
Read more: Louise Redknapp reportedly living in house 15 minutes away from marital home
Louise also admitted to feeling like she had “lost herself” in her marriage, in the Stella interview.
“I think this happens to a lot of women when they get married and have children. You have this feeling deep inside you, ‘Where did I go?’ But I pushed those thoughts away.”
However, her stint on Strictly – which she describes as “the first selfish thing I’d done since my kids were born”, helped Louise regain her lost sense of identity
“I feel like I’m coming back to who I really am,” she added.
While some spectators have blamed Louise’s 28-year-old Strictly co-star Daisy Lowe for the split, Louise says this is not the case.
“Daisy is a mate who is an incredible cheerleader at a time when I’ve needed a lot of support.”
Read more: Louise Redknapp has some very exciting comeback plans in the pipeline
However, she did say Daisy helped boost her body confidence on the show.
“Daisy loves other women. She kept on at me to wear something sexy and by week three I was in a leotard and tights not feeling self-conscious at all. I could feel myself changing week by week.”
We can totally relate to Louise’s feelings of giving too much of herself, and we hope this time helps her decide what she wants.