‘He tells me I’ll never come before rugby!’

said: “no. not until i retire.” it was the truth. it still is. You have to suck it up. But hopefully there will be a time when i come first.’

She recalls how, emboldened by a couple of drinks, she phoned him and told him she loved him. ‘i blasted it out and said: “i think we should get married.” What was i thinking? We’d only been together a few weeks!’ she shrieks. ‘And he said: “i like you, too.”

‘i kept telling him i loved him, for months and months before he said it back. When he did, i felt as if i’d won a lifelong battle.’

‘i do things in my own time,’ remarks James. ‘i’m very stubborn. Every time someone asked me when we were getting engaged, i told myself: “i’ll put it back a month.” ’

‘Stubbornness is one of his worst qualities. And he never says sorry,’ adds Chloe. ‘ But then again, my dad says men never do.’

‘i can’t apologise. But i’m not wrong very often,’ James deadpans.

they are easy, diverting company and already seem like a long-married couple.

the Madeley/Finnigan marriage is famously solid and i ask if they hope to emulate them. Richard, 62, and Judy, 70, have been together for almost four decades and married for 32 years, having met at granada tV. At the time, Judy was married to her first husband and was mother to seven-year-old twins tom and Dan. A year later, she and Richard were together. they have remained so, and have two children — Chloe and Jack — together.

‘James and i have a different relationship from my mum and dad’s, but what i love about them is that they’ve stuck together. And mum’s much happier now. She doesn’t worry as she used to do. She’s not interested in being in the public eye any more.

‘A lot of people walk away from marriages, but Mum and Dad never have and i knew that James was tenacious, too. Once he’s set his mind to something there’s no moving him. He’s not going anywhere.’

i wonder if they plan to start a family soon, and it triggers another lively debate.

‘i think we’ll have kids but i’m not sure i’m prepared to be less selfish yet,’ says James. ‘i’d like a cute mini-Chloe i could take to rugby but, then, you never get rid of kids.’

‘it’s a big commitment,’ agrees Chloe. ‘And at the moment James is so entrenched in his rugby, he’s super- selfish. Plus i’ve got to a place in my career where people take me seriously. it’s going to happen in time. And i’d like a little boy version of you.’

She smiles at her husband. ‘ Or we could have a Labrador,’ James quips back.