LOUISE Redknapp says she has regrets about leaving her fairytale marriage to her footballer ex, Jamie Redknapp.
The singer, 46, had some sage advice for people thinking of breaking up from their partners after her 19-year marriage ended after she appeared on Strictly Come Dancing.
Louise says she regrets not putting more effort into trying to save the relationship.
Ex-Eternal star Louise wed then Liverpool ace Jamie in 1998. They have sons Charley, 16, and Beau, 12. They divorced in 2017.
Louise said of the break-up: “I should have paused and thought about other people and had just a bit more time to work out why I felt I couldn’t do it any more.
“I wish I’d tried. I want to say to anyone thinking of running: Just slow down. Don’t run,” she explained.
“Because once you run too fast, you can’t make up the ground you’ve lost. Stop, say what you need, say what you think, don’t be afraid to say what’s really going on. You don’t have to be quiet.”
But the star admitted feeling proud of reclaiming her career on the West End after spending years of out of the limelight.
Her return to public life came in 2016 when she agreed to appear on BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing and almost winning the show reignited her passion for performing.
“I had a spring in my step. I just thought: ‘God, I’m all right. I look better, I feel better, I’m good at what I do, the audiences are voting for me’,” she said.
“I was super-grateful. And for the first time in a really long time, I loved myself.”
Speaking to the Mail on Sunday’s You Magazine, Louise also revealed how she thought of ending her own life in the middle of her public break-up.
“I would be standing in Central London and would wonder whether it would be easier for a bus to take me out,” she said.
“All it would take was for me to step out at the wrong moment and it would be over.”
She admitted she seriously considered suicide and added: “I think so, for a split second.
“I was like, ‘I would really like this to all go away. But I’ve got two little men who need me more than anything’.
“That’s where my selfishness stops. They’re the only thing that kept me going.”
EVERY 90 minutes in the UK a life is lost to suicide.
It doesn’t discriminate, touching the lives of people in every corner of society – from the homeless and unemployed to builders and doctors, reality stars and footballers.
It’s the biggest killer of people under the age of 35, more deadly than cancer and car crashes.
And men are three times more likely to take their own life than women.
Yet it’s rarely spoken of, a taboo that threatens to continue its deadly rampage unless we all stop and take notice, now.
That is why The Sun launched the You’re Not Alone campaign.
The aim is that by sharing practical advice, raising awareness and breaking down the barriers people face when talking about their mental health, we can all do our bit to help save lives.
Let’s all vow to ask for help when we need it, and listen out for others… You’re Not Alone.
If you, or anyone you know, needs help dealing with mental health problems, the following organisations provide support:
