Shropshire Star

Louise Redknapp had laughed off the so-called Strictly curse

Their marriage was thought to be one of the most solid in showbiz.

Published
Louise and Jamie Redknapp attend the GQ Men of the Year Awards (Anthony Devlin/PA)

Louise Redknapp laughed off the so-called Strictly Come Dancing curse after signing up for the hit TV show.

Her marriage of almost 20 years to football pundit Jamie was thought to be one of the most solid in showbiz.

And the former Eternal singer, 43, told Hello! magazine: “After so many years, it’ll take more than Strictly and a sparkly leotard to cause problems.”

But the star later told the Daily Telegraph how going on Strictly gave her back her zest for performing after becoming “a sort of Stepford Wife”.

Louise Redknapp and Kevin Clifton on Strictly (Guy Levy/BBC/PA)
Louise Redknapp and Kevin Clifton on Strictly (Guy Levy/BBC/PA)

“People might look at me and think I’ve got everything, but a sweeping staircase and designer handbag doesn’t really do it for me.”

The star wed Liverpool footballer Redknapp on a luxury yacht in Bermuda in 1998, one year after being crowned the “sexiest woman in the world”.

The couple, who began dating in December 1996, arrived at the 130ft cruiser, Lady Tamara, in separate horse-drawn carriages, before sailing into the blue waters to exchange their vows.

The bride, then 23, wore a cream off-the-shoulder knee-length dress, while Redknapp, who had been voted soccer’s top pin-up, wore a black safari suit.

Around 50 friends and family, including Jamie’s famous football manager father Harry Redknapp, witnessed the ceremony.

The couple went on to have two sons, Charley, now 13, and Beau, nine.

Pop star Louise launching a solo album (Yui Mok/PA)
Pop star Louise launching a solo album (Yui Mok/PA)

“I’ll do anything for an easy life. He’s brilliant, I have to say. If they want new football boots, they have to earn them,” she told Hello!

The couple were named runners-up in a poll to name the perfect married couple, one place below the Beckhams.

And the singer previously told Red magazine: “I know there’s a perception that Jamie and I have the perfect marriage, but we have our ups and downs. It worries me that if one day anything were to happen, it would hit us really hard, because we’ve got this image of perfection to live up to.”

Louise Redknapp as Sally Bowles in Cabaret (Pamela Raith)
Louise Redknapp as Sally Bowles in Cabaret (Pamela Raith)

Her TV credits include UKTV Style’s The Clothes Show, Five’s reality show The Farmer Wants A Wife and the BBC’s Something For The Weekend.

Since the end of Strictly, she has returned to the limelight with a role in stage show Cabaret, describing the part as “one of the scariest things I’ve done”.

Sorry, we are not accepting comments on this article.