Louise Redknapp has shared the emotional toll she faced after her high-profile split from football star Jamie Redknapp, revealing she felt unfairly cast as the "villain".
The 50-year-old was previously married to former footballer Jamie Redknapp for 20 years before their divorce in 2017. They are parents to two sons, Charley, 20, and 16-year-old Beau.
© Ash Knotek/ShutterstockSpeaking to The Independent, the former Eternal singer reflected: "I'd been lucky in my career because for many years I didn't really have a lot of scrutiny. Then bang, everybody’s got an opinion."
The mum-of-two - who is promoting her new album Confessions - described no matter what she did, she felt like she couldn't win.
"Nothing I said was right," she added. "To defend myself was wrong. To not defend myself was wrong. I felt like I was walking up a one-way street with just nowhere to go."
Despite spending decades in the limelight, Louise insists she has never sought out fame and tried to stay focused on her passion for music.
"I'm not looking for a fight. I'm not looking for headlines," she said. "I actually don't look for fame at all. I just really love music."
Her 20-year marriage to Jamie unravelled after her appearance on Strictly Come Dancing in 2016. She previously hinted the stint led to the breakdown of her marriage to Jamie.
© GettySince their separation, the former couple have remained on good terms - the football pundit has since married and welcomed another son with Swedish model Frida Redknapp.
During a candid chat with HELLO! in 2022, Louise confessed that she didn't jump back into the dating scene soon after her divorce for the sake of her family.
"I've felt this as a mum and, to say this in the most sort of respectful way, my boys' lives changed dramatically and then it changed again when obviously Jamie got married and had a family," she explained.
© Instagram"Their life changed and I felt like I needed to be their one staple. That's just something I think a lot of mums would feel."
Speaking about herself, Louise said: "I'm not averse to dating or meeting somebody. My boys will be absolutely fine if I'm dating or if I'm going out with anyone, they will be my biggest supporters as long as I'm happy. Like they're like, 'Yeah mum, you should.'"
© GettyShe added: "I'm really open, I take each day as it comes, day by day. See what tomorrow brings. I'm grateful. I've got my gorgeous boys and I'm grateful that I work. I'm not averse to it, but I'm not trawling through any [dating] sites!"
The singer is now in a relationship with her boyfriend Drew Michael, whom she went public with in 2023.
