Chloe Madeley opens up about 'toxic' split from James Haskell as she recalls pain of seeing her ex out with other women and how she tried to shield her famous parents from the truth
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Chloe Madeley has opened up about her 'dark and toxic' 2023 split from ex James Haskell, admitting she was 'relieved' to have ended the five year marriage.
The influencer, 38, who co-parents three-year-old daughter Bodhi with the rugby star, 40, recalled the pain of the separation and seeing her ex partying with mystery women.
She said: 'They say: "[Divorce] is going to be so hard for you". And, yes, it is, but the hardest bit was when we were married. The last year of the marriage was awful. It was so dark, painful, and one of the worst periods of my life. It’s a good thing we ended it'.
'I’m amazed I got through it in the way that I did. I think more people should see it as a positive thing. I’m so proud of myself and so relieved that I actually called it a day'.
She went on to explain how she'd worked hard to shield her daughter and famous parents Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan from the 'dark and painful' details of the split, despite usually confiding everything in the couple.
Praising the former This Morning hosts, who have been married for nearly 40 years, who she said reassures her that she 'can handle' life as a single mother, with her dad describing the situation as a 'very happy uncoupling'.
Chloe Madeley has opened up about her 'dark and toxic' 2023 split from ex James Haskell, admitting she was 'relieved' to have ended the five year marriage
The influencer, 38, who co-parents three-year-old daughter Bodhi with the rugby star, 40, recalled the pain of the separation (pictured 2022)
Chloe said in an interview with the No Parental Guidance podcast: 'My parents are so incredible, I won the lottery with them. They are my emotional cheerleaders.
'I’m sure they didn’t want my marriage with James to end – they have that old-school mentality about the family unit. But I said to them: "Trust me, I’ll be happier doing this than if I stay"'.
Elsewhere in the interview Chloe shared insight into her and James' successful co-parenting routine as they aim to be 'respectful, calm and mature' for the sake of their daughter.
But while her ex has been back on the dating scene, the stunner said despite wanting to be in a relationship there is nobody special in her life at the moment.
Just weeks ago, James shared the reality of co-parenting with Chloe, admitting that 'the worst bits' of navigating the split are hidden from social media.
He appeared on This Morning alongside Mike Tindall to chat to hosts Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley about their brand new book Reloaded – The Good, The Bad & The Rugby, written with Alex Payne.
In the book, James touches upon the death of his father and navigating parenthood with Chloe.
Talking about their relationship, James said: 'Chloe is an amazing mum, an amazing woman. She is so talented and smart, and brilliant at what she does.
'When you get separated, obviously, because we live our lives in the public eye in some respect, basically you put yourself out there and sometimes people look to you to see how you behave in those situations, and for me, when you separate, the priority always becomes the child and your egos don't matter.
![She said: 'They say: "[Divorce] is going to be so hard for you". And, yes, it is, but the hardest bit was when we were married. The last year of the marriage was awful'](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/12/15/15/104741505-15385009-image-a-33_1765812093463.jpg)
She said: 'They say: "[Divorce] is going to be so hard for you". And, yes, it is, but the hardest bit was when we were married. The last year of the marriage was awful'
'It was so dark, painful, and one of the worst periods of my life. It’s a good thing we ended it' (James pictured with mystery woman in March 2024)
She went on to explain how she'd worked hard to shield her daughter and famous parents Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan from the 'dark and painful' details of the split
'We're able to co-parent in a way, sometimes is good, sometimes is bad, that's what happens. But we do it constructively for our daughter.
'I think it's important to talk about it.
'A lot of men reach out to me on social media and go "Listen, I'm separating, I'm having this, I wonder how you do that, I've seen that."
'I think sometimes social media can give you a false image, sometimes it's good, sometimes it's bad.
'You never post about bad stuff. You've got to take everything with a punch of salt.'
He said of Chloe: 'She always had my back.
'She's got my back now. She's always great like that. Our daughter is amazing, and hopefully you can keep that process, it's not always straight forward.
'But you've got to try!'
