Chloe Madeley and James Haskall are set to spend Christmas together, two months after they announced their shock separation.
Speaking exclusively in her first sit-down chat since their marriage break-up, Chloe, 36, told about her ‘normal Christmas’ plan for the sake of 16 month-old daughter Bodhi, which will involve seeing the former England rugby star, 38.
And Chloe insists being single for the first time in nearly a decade is far from intimidating, admitting her most ‘successful’ and ‘happiest’ times of her career and personal life occurred when she was without a partner.
Chloe, daughter of TV presenting duo Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan, said: ‘Christmas is going to be a real family affair, it’s going to be me, my mum and dad, Bodhi and James.
‘That will be nice because as much as possible, I want Bodhi to have a real sense of family and togetherness at Christmas and it’s important for both James and I to do that.
‘We don’t know how long that will be possible to continue doing, but we’ll do it for as long as we can.
‘I want Bodhi to not only have a strong sense of a mum and dad, but also a strong sense of family as a unit.’
And on being single at Christmas, she added: ‘People may find this hard to believe but I’m genuinely in a good space.
‘I think back on times in my life where I’ve achieved the most in terms of my career and I’ve been happiest most in my personal life, and it was always when I was single so I’m not too nervous about the next chapter.
‘I’ve got Bodhi, who I call my “funnel of love”, I can just funnel love into her and get it back, so I feel pretty solid and secure and ok with it all.’
Chloe Madeley revealED she is set to spend Christmas with James Haskell – two months after they announced their shock separation – and admitted ‘she’s happiest single’
Chloe and James confirmed their separation in October, shortly before the end of her new ITVBe reality show – Chloe Madeley: A Family Affair – which was a hit with both viewers and critics
Chloe and James confirmed their separation in October, shortly before the end of her new ITVBe reality show – Chloe Madeley: A Family Affair – which was a hit with both viewers and critics.
They won praise for being ‘real’ on screen, refusing to edit out bickering and major fall-outs, even though airing those scenes sparked concern their five-year marriage was in trouble.
Chloe says she felt it was important the former couple were true to themselves on screen, as they wanted to dispel the belief they had a perfect relationship, which many of their followers on social media felt they had.
She explained: ‘It’s funny because for a long time James and I were like #couplegoals all the time on Instagram, but people really like that authenticity you saw on the show and how we are very much ourselves, but obviously that didn’t work out. Oh well.’
She added: ‘I’ve always suffered really badly with anxiety and one of the ways which I tackle it – and this is going to make you sick in your mouth – is just be the most authentic version of myself at all time.
‘It bites me in the ass a lot, but it’s the only thing I can really do to stay ahead of any concerns.’
Chloe and James may have officially announced their separation in October, but they actually split in the summer.
Fitness trainer and nutrition expert Chloe admitted she partied hard following the break-up due to the fact she wanted to spend time with her girlfriends, her close group of fellow Londoners who helped navigate her through those ‘tough’ few months.
Speaking exclusively in her first sit-down chat since their marriage break-up, Chloe, 36, told about her ‘normal Christmas’ plan for the sake of 16 month-old daughter Bodhi, which will involve seeing the former England rugby star, 38
And she let off so much steam, Chloe says now ‘partied out’ and won’t be hitting bars and clubs in the build up to Christmas.
She said: ‘I’m a bit partied out. I’ve cancelled the next two Christmas parties I’m meant to be going to.
‘When everything happened between James and I, I just wanted to be surrounded by women and me and my friends are party girls and we love going out, we love,dancing, getting p****d and having fun.
‘I had a good four or five weeks of going out and letting my hair down and now I’m kind of done with it.
‘I just want to be in my living room with my Christmas tree and my baby, putting Christmas films on and drinking red wine.
‘That’s what I want my December to look like.’
She added: ‘I wasn’t trying to party my pain away and be on the lookout for men, I just wanted to be with my girlfriends.
‘But I just don’t have it in me anymore to keep on partying. I’m 36 now – I’m getting old. I don’t have a one day hangover any more, it’s more like three days.’
Spending time with James at Christmas will harbour memories of when Chloe first introduced him to her famous parents on Boxing Day 2014.
And the rugby star’s first exchange with her Good Morning Britain star dad Richard, who was preparing dinner at the time, will never be forgotten.
She recalled: ‘My dad told James to “f**k off”.’
‘He really felt like he’d offended my dad but I was like “no, that’s Kitchen Dickie, he’s a psychopath.”
‘My dad cooks Christmas dinner every year. He gets so stressed out by it, nobody is allowed into the kitchen, he turns into a Gordon Ramsay style kitchen mad man.
‘I always offer to cook, because I love cooking and it relaxes me, it soothes me, and he’s like “‘no, no’ as the kitchen is very much his domain.’
Richard, 67, made numerous cameos of Chloe’s ITVBe show, including when she and James visited her parents holiday home in the South of France.
And it’s likely we’ll be seeing more family bonding trips on screen, as Chloe confirmed she’s in talks with ITV about shooting a follow up series – with James included.
Chloe added: ‘We are talking with ITV at the moment – the production company and I – and we’re pitching them what my New Year is going to look like and what they could get in terms of the filming.
‘James wouldn’t be as involved, and that’s a conversation I’ve had with him, but I still think he should present to some degree and I asked him if he would be happy to do that and he said he would love to.
‘One of things James and I loved was the show forced us to spend time as a family, especially when he was so busy – he was rarely in London – and we had some amazing experiences on camera.
‘I had that growing up, I had my first injection, swimming lesson, and holiday on This Morning, and it’s lovely and I’m thrilled Bodhi is going to have that too.’