James Haskell has opened up about moving on from his ex-wife Chloe Madeley, admitting that appearing on the E4 dating show Celebs Go Dating “felt like cheating”. The former couple, who share daughter Bodhi, ended their marriage in 2023 after five years together.
The 41-year-old rugby player turned to the show in a bid to find love, alongside Professor Green, Coleen Nolan, and Gabby Allen. In a candid interview, he revealed that he spoke to Chloe, 38, before taking part, insisting she was “very supportive” of his decision.
“It sort of felt like I was cheating because it was the first time I was dating in public in front of Chloe. I got all these mixed emotions and froze,” he said. “For me, when you’ve got a daughter and you’ve got an ex-wife, both of them I hold in the highest regard and I want to be the most respectful I can be.”
He continued: “This is very much out of my comfort zone. You’ve got emotions, you’ve got other people, you’ve got romance… It’s a difficult thing to put in the public eye, so I spoke to her about it. She was very supportive.”
Admitting he was “getting nervous” before filming, James said his fame has made him “very wary” about dating publicly, and he wanted to remain “quite respectful” of his ex. Speaking to The Sun, he said Chloe was “always informed” of how the series was progressing, adding: “And if my daughter ever watched it back, I’d want her to be proud of how her dad was.”
The pair announced their separation in 2023, focusing on co-parenting Bodhi. Chloe later described their split as “the worst imaginable” on the No Parental Guidance podcast. “We’ve managed to come out the other side, very surprisingly to me more than anyone, having formed a completely new bond and a new relationship and a new friendship. It’s very loving and respectful as parents, and I would call him one of my closest friends now.”
On Celebs Go Dating, James reflected on his marriage: “My sporting career was very selfish. Lots of travel, lots of work, and then I switched to being a DJ and travel, and then there is work with that, and I probably needed to be more there for Chloe.”
