Brave Jac: “I’m having counselling to heal and deal with things”
● Her turbulent relationship has faced no end of scrutiny ● Jacqueline Jossa admits to turning to a therapist for support ● Friends think she’ll bounce back
❛ SEEKING HELP CAN GIVE COUPLES THE TOOLS TO RESOLVE ISSUES AND BECOME STRONGER ❜
It’s been a difficult few weeks for Jacqueline Jossa. Sources close to the devoted mum of two say she hates having the spotlight on her marriage, but, once again, her relationship with Dan Osborne has made headlines for the wrong reasons.
When news broke that the actress had left her family home and moved elsewhere, she shot down split rumours by saying she just needed space. Explaining her decision to divide her time between her marital home in Essex and a house in Kent, she said, “I’ve been staying at another house – a house my parents will eventually be moving into. I had really been struggling (haven’t we all!?) lately and, as I said the other day, I’ve just needed some time and breathing space.”
But just days later, it was reported that Dan had been texting former Love Island star Gabby Allen, who he was first linked to two years ago, after pictures emerged of them looking close on a bootcamp in Marbella – a claim both Dan and Gabby deny.
BAD PATCH
Now, Jac, 27, has revealed on her Instagram stories that she’s in therapy. The actress, who shares Ella, five, and Mia, 23 months, with Dan explained, “Daniel has made mistakes and I have to heal and deal with all of this... I am having counselling and dealing with a lot.”
It’s not currently known whether Dan, 28, is also seeking professional help, but last July he confessed to Closer that it wasn’t something he’d ever consider doing.
Acknowledging that Jac had been having counselling following a “bad patch” in the couple’s marriage, he said, “It’s different for everyone, so I’m not judging people who have been to therapy, but for me, personally, I said I wouldn’t do that… She went on her own [to counselling], but that was about other things – not just to do with our marriage.”
Whether Dan has changed his mind about counselling or not, Closer’s psychological therapist Emma Kenny says therapy can benefit a relationship, even if only one person gets support.
She says, “It’s brave of Jac to seek help. Some people find it hard to reach out to a professional as they see it as an admission that things aren’t perfect, but I think every relationship and individual can benefit from therapy. It’s ideal if both people in a couple seek help, but even if it’s just one of them, it can give them the tools to resolve old issues and become stronger.”
INTERVENTION
However, friends and family are said to be worried about Jac. Last week, it was reported that her parents had wanted to stage an intervention to help ensure their daughter got away from Dan “once and for all”.
Rumours of a family rift first began to swirl in December, when her parents posted selfies of themselves on a minibus in Australia on their way to meet Jac, notably sitting four rows away from their son-in-law, who had spent the past three weeks being plagued by rumours of adultery.
Jac’s time on the show had been overshadowed by Natalie Nunn’s and Chloe Ayling’s claims that they had a threesome with Dan on a night out in
2018, after they’d all starred on Celebrity Big Brother together.
Jac never commented directly on the accusations but, shortly afterwards, she referred to the state of her marriage, saying, “It’s been two years of me basically giving him hell. It’s not like he got away lightly. He knows he’s done wrong.”
Despite strongly denying the threesome claims, calling them “shocking”, Dan also later posted a statement on Instagram that read, “I have seriously learned from these [mistakes] massively, so I want to publicly apologise to my beautiful wife and my family for the mistakes I’ve made.”
CHEATING RUMOURS
Friends say they hope, for
Jac’s sake, he has “learned” from his misdeeds – but, as Gabby Allen – who has furiously denied claims of a fling with Dan – told Closer last year, “Dan gets himself into situations...”
In the seven years the couple have been together, he has been forced to deny numerous cheating rumours.
He put his foot in it not long after they initially grew close, telling Closer, “Is Jacqueline
The One? It’s hard to say but I like to think so.”
Their first split came less than a year after tying the knot in June 2017, when Jacqueline
was 30 weeks pregnant with their second child Mia, but they reconciled later that year.
In 2018, they were forced to deny reports that Jacqueline messaged a woman on Twitter to ask if she’d slept with Dan, while in March last year he was accused of “grinding” with Alexandra Crane at a Manchester bar – which they both denied.
Last April, Jacqueline confirmed that things hadn’t been easy, saying, “Of course [having kids is] challenging – it tests your relationships.”
It’s uncertain what the future holds for the pair, but those closest to Jac – whose career has gone from strength to strength in recent months, with her fashion range with In The Style becoming its fastest selling celebrity collaboration ever – believe she’ll bounce back from the latest dramas.
Ahead of her victory on
I’m A Celeb!, her cousin Ciara Asherwood told us, “She has grown in confidence and she’s really happy.”
By Daisy McLure