LOUISE
Strictly star on life after divorce and learning to put herself first
IT’S a real challenge starting a new life post-divorce but Louise Redknapp is determined to face the future with a smile.
Eight months after her marriage to former footballer turned TV sports pundit Jamie Redknapp ended after 19 years, she has opened up about her new life as a single woman.
“Some days, it does hit you because there’s obviously been major life changes,” the 43-yearold – mum to boys Charley, 14, and Beau, nine – said.
“Things happen but much of my life is still the same. I still get up and take the kids to school. I take them to their football training and activities and walk the dogs.
“It’s very important to Jamie and me that their routine stays the same.”
She hints at a tumultuous period that has unfolded since the singer stepped back into the limelight by competing on Strictly Come Dancing in 2016. Millions saw the stay-at-home mum blossom in the series.
She found fame as part of R&B girl group Eternal in the 90s, followed by a successful solo career, selling five million records in the UK and 15million globally.
But she gave up her career when she married in 1998, devoting herself to raising a family.
When Louise entered Strictly, she was initially reluctant to wear the show’s famously revealing outfits. However, she seemed transformed, becoming uber-glamorous when she made the finals with her dance partner, Kevin Clifton.
Speaking after the show ended, Louise talked of having “a big injection of confidence” and confessed she’d felt “a little bit left behind” after giving her family priority for many years.
Now, she plays down its effects. She said: “So much emphasis has been put on a TV programme.
“Strictly was a small chapter in my 25-year career and I feel like I end up talking about those three months of my life, when I’ve had 15million record sales and been in a girl band.
“Yet this is the one thing that creates a buzz.
“Strictly reminded me about my passion to go out and perform on stage but that’s something I would have done eventually.
“I never said I lost myself – I was just being a mum at home but I was still me.
“My plan was always to go back to work when
the boys were old enough. It’s not a ‘new Louise’ stepping out, it’s just the same old one. “It’d be so easy to go down this route of a ‘new me’ but it’s not like that. “What’s gone on in my private life, it’s very important for me to keep private, for the respect and love I have for my family.” She is equally dismissive of the “Curse of Strictly” – so-called because of the list of celebrities who’ve broken up with their partners after appearing on the show. Louise, rolling her eyes, said: “If I had a pound for every time I’ve read that.” By contrast, she sparkles when she talks about pursuing her revitalised career. She appeared last year in a touring production of Cabaret, has performed at the Isle of Wight Festival and is working on a new album. She said: “It’s thrilling being back in the studio again. It’s nice I can share it with my boys. They’re at an age where they can understand it and enjoy being part of it.”
Although it was reported her marriage broke down because of Jamie’s “unreasonable behaviour”, Louise insists they’re still “good friends”. “Jamie’s great with the children and it works, because when the boys are with him, they’re perfect days for me to work on projects,” she added. “I’ve achieved a lot that I can be proud of. I’ve got two beautiful boys, I’m having the opportunity to do theatre and make an album, so I’ve got to look to the future positively.” Louise is an ambassador for a Specsavers campaign to encourage women to buy glasses using their in-store Frame Styler technology. She said: “I’ve had to get reading glasses and this makes it easy to choose frames. It’s about confidence.” She concedes her confidence can fluctuate. Louise added: “You have good and bad days as a person, don’t you? “Some days you feel great and full of confidence and other days you don’t. But on the whole, day-by-day, I just try to stay positive and confident.”
Her health and fitness regime involves the gym, boxing training, dog walking and running around after her boys.
She said: “I also aim to get a good night’s sleep regularly. That’s about it – I’m the most low maintenance woman ever.”
She batted away questions about dating, saying: “I’m just enjoying getting myself settled with the boys. Children and my work are everything I’ve got and I’m focusing on that.
“I’d describe myself as downto-earth, quite realistic, easy to get along with and a hard worker. I’m happiest when I see my kids happy, and we’re all together and my family’s happy.
“Second to that, I really have enjoyed being back on stage and performing. I didn’t realise how happy that could make me.”
Reflecting on the last few years, she said: “The best piece of advice I received is, ‘You can’t please everybody. Just be you.’
“You have to take opportunities and do the best you can. We can be really hard on ourselves and we want to make everything as perfect as possible, which is unrealistic.
“I’m learning to be the best I can be, whether as a parent or with my job, and to just knuckle down and get on with things.”