Jamie O’hara: “Cheating on Danielle was a massive mistake”
Footballer Jamie O’hara, 31, opens up to Closer’s therapist Emma Kenny about his divorce from Danielle Lloyd, 34, and battling suicidal thoughts
EMMA: You married glamour E model Danielle Lloyd, had three children [Archie, now eight, Harry, seven, and George, five], but then divorced in 2014. What was married life like? JAMIE: When Danielle and I moved to Birmingham in 2011, it was the beginning of the end for us and my career. I didn’t have family near me and I was going out too much. As I got older, I struggled with injuries. I fractured my spine and wasn’t as fit. I’d get pictured in nightclubs, and the team I was playing for – Wolves [Wolverhampton Wanderers] – weren’t doing well. As a result, I got dropped, and no other club would touch me. Without my career, I fell apart. I was on anti-depressants and I thought about killing myself. I didn’t want to die, I just wanted someone to notice I wasn’t OK.
What led to your marriage breakdown? J: Our relationship wasn’t going well and neither of us could find a happy balance. On a night out, I cheated on her, which was a massive mistake. I was searching for a buzz I couldn’t get from football. When it came out, it was an explosion and got messy. I knew I had to quit Wolves for my sanity, but I lost £1m from my contract. I went into rehab for depression and alcohol dependency, because I felt like I was going to kill myself again. Rehab didn’t work because everyone in there knew who I was, but afterwards I had counselling for a year and it helped me figure out what I wanted from life.
Tell me about your childhood… J: My mum died from cancer when I was 17. She fought non-hodgkin’s lymphoma for ten years. I’ll never forget when my dad told my brother and I that mum would lose her hair. I was too young to understand, but my brother cried his eyes out. When I became a footballer, she did everything she could to support me. She’d miss hospital appointments and would stand in the crowds wearing a wig to watch me play. E: Watching someone suffering with a terminal illness is tough. Even though you’re aware they’ll die, no one is prepared for the moment they do. How did you cope? J: I had an amazing, solid upbringing, and then overnight everything changed. Mum and Dad were married for 35 years and were so happy together, but when she passed, my dad and then my brother fell apart. Dad went through a bad phase. He switched off from the world and left his job. He had moments where he said he couldn’t carry on, and that broke me. I threw myself into playing football and took on the role of providing financially for my dad and brother because I was on good money. E: It sounds like all of your focus and attention when you were 17 was invested in your career and looking after family, and that you didn’t give yourself time to grieve… J: I never grieved. Football was my sanctuary. I was training every day or in the gym, nothing else mattered. I was so driven, but when I made it to the top, I felt lost as a person. When I made my debut for Tottenham, I looked over at the side and saw my dad and brother crying and I remember wishing Mum was there. As an adult, I had everything I’d ever dreamed of, but I was still miserable. No one else knew about my world. E: Your divorce played out in the courts. How are things between you and Danielle now? J: Divorce was horrific and a terrible time for me. I wasn’t prepared for it mentally and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. Danielle and I had a lot of love for each other and we have three incredible children, but when my career fell apart, our relationship became toxic. We went through court, which was tough. Now, we’re OK – we communicate well and have moved forward. It’s credit to her that our boys are amazing kids. Danielle [who’s since had another baby boy, Ronnie, with fiancé Michael O’neill] kept them happy through all the bad stuff we’ve experienced.
he’s endured more than her S fair share of relationship dramas over the years – but Danielle Lloyd can’t contain her smiles after finding love with her fiancé, electrician Michael O’neill. The couple share son Ronnie, 11 months, and now the 34-year-old former glamour model has confirmed to Closer that they’re marrying in secret next year.
Danielle says, “We’ve booked the wedding. I can’t say too much as it’s going to be really private, but I’m sure you’ll hear about it afterwards. I can’t wait, it’s going to be really beautiful – I couldn’t be any happier!” What Danielle will reveal about her upcoming nuptials is that it’ll be a far cry from her glitzy London wedding to footballer Jamie O’hara in 2012, which saw a celebrity guest list that included Jordan – and Jamie gifting her a diamond-covered Bentley.
PEACEFUL LIFE
She says, “Michael and I are both laid-back and just go with the flow. We’ve been so strict with the guest list – immediate family only. It suits Michael – he isn’t shy, but he doesn’t like fuss. It’ll be the people we love the most, then we’ll get really drunk afterwards – at least if I do something stupid, there won’t be loads of people there to witness it!”
It certainly seems as if the peaceful life suits Danielle – who previously tried out wedding dresses for size in a Closer photoshoot. During her twenties, she dated a string of footballers, including Teddy Sheringham, Marcus Bent and Jermain Defoe, before marrying Jamie. They have three sons, Archie, seven, Harry, six, and four-year-old George, but the marriage lasted just two years, collapsing amid cheating claims.
Now, however, the model has finally found the stability she craves. Danielle gushes, “Michael’s amazing. He’s a natural step-dad and does everything with them. If I have to travel somewhere for work, he’ll be fine with the four of them on his own. They love him so much. I’m the one who cooks and cleans, but if they want to have fun they go to him!”
In the years following their 2014 divorce, relations between Danielle and Jamie were fraught, escalating to a bitter battle on Twitter following his Celebrity Big Brother stint in January 2018. During his time in the house, the footballer made thinly-veiled digs at Danielle, and once accused her of blocking access to their sons, which she responded to by accusing him of domestic abuse – something Jamie strongly denies.
Nowadays, their relationship is civil. “We’re civil for the kids, and that’s it really,” she says. “If you’re raising kids with your ex, you’ve just got to think about the children and their feelings, and that’s all you can do.”
Danielle’s next goal is to have another baby soon – specifically a girl. She has been open about wanting a fifth child, so when pictures emerged in June of her wearing a bikini while cradling her slightly swollen stomach, and buying a pregnancy test, fans assumed she was pregnant.
PAINFUL TRUTH
However, the truth behind the bump is more painful. She says, “I did think I was pregnant. But since I’ve had Ronnie, my polycystic ovaries have been really bad, which means every time I ovulate, I swell up. I can feel the egg being released, it’s really horrible and painful. People automatically thought I was pregnant, which was really upsetting, but I know the reason why – and it just can’t be helped.
“Many women who have polycystic ovaries worry they’ll never conceive, but I’ve had four beautiful boys, so it can be done. I had cysts
removed before I had kids and was warned surgery could scar my ovaries and prevent me from having children, so I’ve been lucky. I exercise lots, which I think helps.”
BABY NO 5
Even while Danielle was expecting Ronnie, baby number five was on her mind after learning live on Loose Women that she was having another boy. Keen for a daughter to complete her family, she will undergo gender selection abroad, as it is illegal in the UK, to ensure this happens – a decision that has proved controversial. She says, “I understand why some people think it’s wrong and if it was my first child, then I wouldn’t agree with gender selection. But the fact is I have four boys and I so want a girl, and now there is something that allows that to happen, I think I should do it. Science is there for a reason.
“After Ronnie, I wanted to have another straight away, but he isn’t the calmest of babies, so me and Michael are looking at each other like, ‘Oh God, can we do this again?’ We will have a little girl, though, hopefully next summer. Besides, I don’t think the boys would ever forgive us if we didn’t give them a sister! They love Ronnie so much, but they do want a girl.”
‘We’ll hopefully have a little girl next summer’