Chloe Madeley and James Haskell's chaotic romance from meeting online to TV rows

28 October 2023 , 18:34

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Chloe Madeley and James Haskell's chaotic romance from meeting online to TV rows

James Haskell and Chloe Madeley have publicly announced they have separated after five years of marriage.

Their shock split comes after highs and lows over their eight-year relationship, but the recent rocky patch has proved too much for the fiery pair, who share 16-month-old daughter Bodhi. They released a statement today, revealing they had split in September, after being spotted without their wedding rings, and a series of spats involving bikini-clad women and a 'mystery blonde', plus DJ James' antics out in Ibiza.

From meeting on Twitter back in 2014, when James wanted a happily-single Chloe to be a brand ambassador, the pair have had some of their biggest rows on their new ITVBe show Chloe Madeley: A Family Affair. The 36-year-old explodes on an episode of the show, telling James she wanted to "kill him" after he accused her of having "heavy hands" and breaking the wardrobe door. Chloe let loose at James, telling him the reason he was voted off I'm A Celebrity... because of how he speaks to people.

Chloe and James had a series of rows on their reality show (ITV)

She ranted: "That's where you lost the viewers and you lost Ant and Dec, and this is literally our marriage. That scene is our marriage. You getting frustrated about something that is f*** all to do with me and then yelling at me thinking it is my fault because I am the closest person to you at this time. This is why I want to kill you, which is what we were talking about earlier."

The trials of caring for a baby on her own, while James was in Ibiza DJing weighed heavy on Chloe. She told The Sun : "You're on your own a lot and as anyone whose partner travels a lot will tell you, you do feel abandoned sometimes. So I try to reframe it. Some couples love having time apart but I'm the opposite. I like to be domestic, at home, with my partner so for someone like me - a stage five clinger - it is really hard."

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James' new career was a contentious issue for the couple, who married in December 2018, four years after meeting. Chloe, who revealed James was "furious" that she wouldn't take his last name, had another blazing row on their reality show, after her husband had been posting photos of "other girls' a***s" on his social media accounts.

The couple had one of their biggest rows in front of ITV cameras (ITV)

Chloe previously told The Sun : "My argument was, 'I don't mind that that is your job but I don't want you putting it on social media when everyone knows I’'m your wife.'" She became "resentful" of James' career, which took him to parties in New York and Ibiza while she was heavily pregnant, revealing he booked a gig with DJ Carl Cox on her due date. She later said it lead to "multiple arguments" and was a "real challenge" during the last weeks of her pregnancy.

Chloe said: "He posted videos of him with loads of girls in thongs because he thinks that it like makes him look cool on social media. I'm like you're a k*** and you make me look like a k***. Stop doing it." While she was at home looking after their baby daughter, he extended his trip to Ibiza. Chloe said: "I think there's an element of he misses Bodhi. Not me. Definitely not me. But he actually misses Bodhi, and I think he feels a bit guilty."

Chloe and James share 16-month-old toddler Bodhi

Mum-of-one Chloe spilled the beans on their sex life in 2021, when she admitted James' "magic number" was higher than hers. Speaking to The Sun, she said: “James had a very eventful life before we met but I reap the benefits of him being very experienced — so I’m fine with it. He has never actually disclosed his magic number but it’s far above what your average would be. One thousand might be hyperbolic but knowing what I do about him, it’s definitely in the hundreds if not more.”

But, as with all new parents, their sex life was changed by having a baby. Speaking to the Made by Mamas podcast in January, she said: "Getting back into the swing of a good healthy sex life has been quite difficult, and I can’t figure out if it’s me, if it’s him or if it’s both of us." She continued: "I just feel like I’m not really in a very sexual headspace now. I hope it comes back. I don’t really think he is either. Hopefully it will go back to normal. I’m going to say it’s the latter – it’s both of us."

The pair struggled to "figure out a rhythm" after having baby Bodhi, but even in August, Chloe was hopeful they could patch things up. Speaking to OK! Magazine, she said: "But James and I are very tenacious as a couple. We’re still together after nine years because we hold on and we try really hard to figure things out even when it’s hard."

"Between the beginning of June and up to now, we’ve slowly but surely been trying to figure out a rhythm and we’ve finally got there. I’ve reached a place where I’m really proud of him."

Amelia Ward