Louise Redknapp confirms she is living apart from husband Jamie: 'I'd turned into a Stepford Wife'

After months of speculation, Louise Redknapp has confirmed that she is living apart from her husband of 19 years, former footballer Jamie Redknapp.

The star was thought to have fallen victim to the infamous ‘Strictly Curse‘ after her stint on Strictly Come Dancing last year, and now Louise has admitted that her TV return helped her realise that she’d turned into a “sort of Stepford wife” in her marriage.

Speaking to Stella magazine, Louise confessed: “It’s so hard because I love him.

“He’s an amazing man and we’ve had 20 good years together. I know he’s trying to understand that I do need to do this.

“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.”

Louise also revealed that her and Jamie’s future is currently undecided, but her return to work is priority at the moment.

The former singer is set to star as Sally Bowles in a touring production of Cabaret this December, marking Louise’s first show in 15 years.

She added to the publication: “I have no idea what is going to happen, all I know is that I fought for this, it’s taken everything, but this is something I need to do – for me.”

Elsewhere in the interview, Louise admitted that she almost turned down the opportunity to appear on Strictly because she had become so used to her routine of looking after her and Jamie’s two sons, 12-year-old Charley and nine-year-old Beau.

After signing up to the show, Louise realised that it was exactly what her life had been missing, taking the opportunity to dismiss reports that fellow Strictly star Daisy Lowe was a factor in her marriage breakdown, instead praising the model for being such an “incredible support” during her tough time.

News that Louise and Jamie were taking time apart first broke in July, with professional Strictly dancer Karen Clifton saying at the time: “On the show Louise grew in confidence and you could see her wings expanding.

“It was great because she’s been a stay-at-home mum and sometimes you can forget about yourself.”

This is the first time that either Louise or Jamie have publicly commented on the speculation surrounding their marriage.

Follow Yahoo Celeb UK on Twitter and Instagram for all of the latest celebrity news!

Read more:

[ Strictly’s Alexandra Burke branded a ‘homewrecker’ after ‘affair with married man ]

[ Strictly Come Dancing: Melvin Odoom reaches out to Chizzy Akudolu amid ‘racism’ row ]

[ Strictly accused of trying to wreck Davood Ghadami’s marriage ]