STAR’S CONFESSION
James Haskell admits ‘real reason’ he split from Chloe Madeley as he opens up on dating and dad’s death
He described their final year together as a “difficult period”
- Callum Wells, Showbiz Reporter
- Published: 9:30, 3 Jun 2025
- Updated: 11:40, 3 Jun 2025
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JAMES Haskell has admitted the “real reason” for his split with Chloe Madeley as he opened up on dating and his dad’s death in a new interview.
Rugby ace James, 40, separated from influencer Chloe, 37, in October 2023, after five years of marriage.
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Their daughter Bodhi was just one at the time.
He’s now admitted that his love of drinking contributed to the end of the relationship, describing their final year together as a “difficult period”.
He told the Daily Mail: “If I put more time into my marriage than I did Guinness, then I wouldn’t be divorced now.
“It’s one of those things in life where some things don’t work out, but I have so much love for my daughter and Chloe,” he said. “It’s team work.”
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“What we all forget is when you have children and a marriage finishes, it’s all about the kids.
“Chloe and I are amazing co-parents. Our priority is always Bodhi.”
Reflecting on the death of his father, Jonathan, after a long illness, he added: “He was an amazing man. He always encouraged me to work.
“Every time I said to him, ‘Shall I take a day off?’ he would rather I worked.”
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James described him as the “key cornerstone of our family”, adding that it had been a “very emotional, difficult time” for him.
He also revealed he’s now single, having dated advertising executive Helen Barclay and Big Brother star Sara McLean, 35, earlier this year.
The sportsman said he’s not currently on the search for his next partner, insisting his priority is “being the best dad in the best order”.
James split from Sara in March – two days after going public with their relationship.Play Video
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The pair were seen enjoying a day at the races after attending the second day of Cheltenham together, but sources later said they were “on the rocks”.
A pal said: “James isn’t really in the settling-down stage just yet.
“He wasn’t really ready to go public with Sara, to be honest.
“They’d had a couple of drinks, got touchy-feely, and then got photographed holding hands, which James wasn’t thrilled about.”
They said the snap caused a rift, which poured cold water on the new romance.
Our source explained: “They had a bit of a lovers’ tiff and, right now, it’s fair to say they’re not officially boyfriend and girlfriend.”
In January, he was linked to mother of two, Helen Barclay.
Our source said James has had interest from other women, who have also not been too happy about the Sara snaps.
They continued: “There have been a couple of other girls on the scene, so I don’t think they were best pleased.
“James is going through a tough divorce, so has been enjoying the best of London’s dating scene.
“He’s not necessarily ready to commit again to something serious straight away.”
But on Sara, the pal went on: “They’re still chatting loads and they have real chemistry.
“Sara is brilliant fun and a great laugh, so who knows?
“They may well be back on again by next week.”
Following their trip to the races, Sara shared a series of cryptic posts about love on her social media account.
One read: “The energy of the year is: Love me well or leave me alone.”
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Former Miss Edinburgh Sara briefly found fame after taking part in the 13th series of Big Brother in 2012.
Since then she has been linked to a string of famous faces, including former US footie player Tim Howard, 46, and Towie TV star Mario Falcone, 37.
