I’m just trying to support my boys and not live like a student
Olympic hero Cracknell on life after break-up of his marriage
The double gold medallist admits his life has taken a different turn since the end of his marriage to TV host Beverley Turner.
James, 46, said: “I do feel a lot younger, having been able to hang around with 20-year-olds.”
The athlete is at Cambridge University studying a masters degree in human evolution.
He said: “I am trying not to live like a student, but that is the reality of it.”
James became the oldest rower by more than 10 years to take part in the University Boat Race, when his team beat Oxford Uni this month.
He celebrated their win by swigging from a hip flask. He has since said: “I would like to do the boat race next year.”
His 17-year marriage to Bev, 45, the mother of his three sons, ended last month.
The couple had previously been candid about the difficulties they have faced since 2010. In July that year James suffered a
devastating brain injury when he was hit by a lorry wing mirror during a cycle ride across the US. He said of the marriage split: “We told the kids before Christmas. “Hopefully, it will all work out with the kids. It will be a different family unit. “It is not going to be the same, but they are important. I want to support the boys. “Both Bev and I dealt with the emotional stuff and got over it.” Speaking at the BT Sports Awards last week, he added: “The emotional stuff had been gone through before that. “The way I look at it is that you can’t have the benefits of being in the public eye and then moan about it when the headlines don’t go how you want them to. It is a story and that is it.” And he said he does not mind being mocked for his age.
“To be honest, it is more insulting for the young rowers because that is when it becomes a thing. When you are older, it does not matter what someone says. It does not really bother you.
“When you are 18 or 19 and you are, say, a footballer and you are too young to play, that is disheartening. When you know you have earned your place, it is fine. But when you are young, it is tough to deal with.”
And he said he had no worries about turning 50, adding: “Being 49 will be the one, but after that you can’t do anything about it.
“It is more when you have an eldest child (who) is 16.
“That is when you feel old and you relive your childhood in a very different way. “You are now guiding someone. “You pass on the lessons you have learned. If you look after yourself in your twenties or thirties, you will age a lot smarter.”
halina.watts@mirror.co.uk