Chloe Madeley and James Haskell made headlines last year for their shocking split after ten years together.
But ever since the break-up, the couple have actually seemed happier than ever in a series of cosy family outings and meals out – and even spent Christmas together.
In recent weeks, Chloe’s famous father Richard Madeley revealed that the two have even jetted off to France together on holiday, while Chloe herself confessed this week that they are ‘very good friends’ and ‘spend loads of time together’.
He told The Sun they have a ‘very happy uncoupling’ and that the two maintain a ‘very civilised relationship’, with James visiting their house all the time.
The once tempestuous duo seem to have nailed co-parenting of their daughter Bodhi, who is nearly two, putting on a united display.
Chloe Madeley and James Haskell (pictured last year) are set to jet on holiday together, according to her father, Richard Madeley
Chloe and and the former rugby union player announced their split in October 2023 after a decade together and five years of marriage.
They had fuelled speculation about a split for months, after Chloe was spotted without her wedding ring as she partied with friends, and James was pictured chatting to a mystery blonde on a night out in London.
But these days they seem to be getting on better than ever, with Chloe admitting they’re ‘really good friends’ on Olivia Attwood’s So Wrong It’s Right podcast this week.
She said: ‘James and I were really good friends, I just want to be clear. We don’t work together romantically. We do work as friends, by and large, we’re very good friends.
‘We spend loads of time together. Me, him and Bodhi are often at Sunday lunch together. He was with me on my birthday to basically be the parent while I got drunk.
‘And I think, and I hope, that over time that is only going to get better, so you know, actually we made the right decision. We’re happier and we’re closer in many ways now than we were then.’
Ever since their split, the couple have seemed happier than ever in a series of cosy family outings and meals out
Chloe captioned the photo: ‘My little modern family well that’s one way to lose these walking blues, diamonds on the soles of her shoes’
Elsewhere in the interview, she revealed they’d been separated for ‘around a year’ – and for the first time revealed it was due to her need for ‘structure and routine’ while James ‘thrived in chaos’.
Reflecting on their separation on Loose Women at the start of the year, Chloe admitted the pair get on better now they’re no longer romantically together.
Chloe, who is the daughter of Richard and Judy Finnigan, said: ‘I think there’s pillars that hold up a relationship such as love and respect.
‘Over time all of our pillars disintegrated and when that happens there is no saving it. We get on better now we aren’t romantically together.
‘Since we parted ways our relationship has become very respectful and we love each other as friends.
‘One of the things that was hard was him being away so much DJing like four or five nights a week but that works for us now because I get my time alone and then he comes back and has his time with Bodhi.
‘I’m happier now than I have ever been and he is happy too. There were horrible weeks when I struggled to get out of bed but once I drew a line, I was ok.
The couple even spent Christmas together with daughter Bodhi, as they’ve put on a united display
Richard has revealed that despite the end of their marriage, Chloe and James are in a ‘very happy uncoupling’ and said he has staying on friendly terms with his former son-in-law
‘I want James to be happy, I want Bodhi to be happy and I want to be happy.’
By contrast, Chloe said her separation from her estranged husband was ‘f***ing awful’ and that the relationship had been ‘miserable’.
It seems the split has been the key for the pair to be able to resolve their differences – going on a series of outings together.
In April, the family spent a day at London Zoo together with their daughter, even prompting fans to speculate that they had got back together.
She showed she’s not shy of posting her ex on social media, taking to Instagram with a sweet family snap.
One fan asked: ‘Thought you split up?’.
Chloe replied: ‘Yea but I’m of the opinion that we deserve family memories and family pictures as much as every other family does’.
She captioned the photo: ‘My little modern family well that’s one way to lose these walking blues, diamonds on the soles of her shoes.’
The couple – who share two-year-old Bodhi together – confirmed they had split in a joint statement released in October last year, after tying the knot in 2018
The new post prompted questions from Chloe’s followers who asked: ‘Thought you split up?’. Chloe replied: ‘Yea but I’m of the opinion that we deserve family memories’ (sic)
Last month, she revealed to Closer Magazine that they do not always agree on parenting styles and get into arguments over their differing opinions
The television personality proved she was the friendliest of exes with James as they beamed for the photo.
In August, Chloe urged her fans to stop bad-mouthing her ex, saying: ‘I actually feel a bit sorry for him.’
Despite splitting last October, it took James until January to move out of the family home.
Appearing on Loose Women in January, Chloe said: ‘He should be moving out again in the next few weeks’, before admitting: ‘I think when you tell people your marriage has ended they see it as negative but actually it is positive.
‘Once we made the decision and drew a line under it, it was done.’
In December, they were spotted dining out twice together, alongside daughter Bodhi.
In one post, James said they were having a ‘team meal’, as he posted a cosy photo of the three of them.
They still spent Christmas together, with Chloe saying at the time: ‘Christmas is going to be a real family affair, it’s going to be me, my mum and dad, Bodhi and James.
Chloe Madeley has defended her ex James Haskell and urged fans to leave him alone after some have continued to bad mouth him
Chloe opened up saying that James is a nice guy, a good dad and the pair are co-parenting well she he deserves to have respect from others
The pair released a joint statement in October after appearing in public without their wedding rings
‘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.’
Tensions were high before the couple split, with Haskell even claiming Chloe treats him ‘like a dog’ and likened their relationship to ‘World War Three’.
In one episode of their reality show before their split was announced, Haskell moaned: ‘She shushes me like I’m a dog or like I’m a baby. I’m like “shush me again and that’s the last thing you’ll ever do”.’
She went on to explain: ‘The difficulty in mine and James’ relationship comes from the fact that both of us think we’re in charge.
‘[In] the relationships that I know are very calm and tranquil there’s a dominant and there’s a submissive [partner].
‘James and I are both dominant so obviously it’s like World War Three.’
Chloe has since opened up about how her separation from her estranged husband ‘was f***ing awful’ as she gave an insight into their relationship
The daughter of TV stars Richard and Judy went onto admit that despite having had a hard few months, she ‘feels a bit sorry’ for James
Chloe is pictured with parents Judy Finnigan and Richard Madeley in 2013
During the recording of their podcast, Chloe revealed she and Haskell attended couples therapy in a bid to save their marriage.
She explained: ‘We went through a really hard time in lockdown – our marriage was really quite tested’, which prompted Haskell to quip ‘it’s not much better now!’
Despite appearing to get on better, Chloe revealed in a recent interview that she and James don’t always see eye to eye and still experience ‘hard times’.
Speaking to Closer Magazine, she said: ‘We have found a way to do it, but it’s not always great. We have really hard times with it sometimes. We also still argue, there’s no denying that and it’ll probably be this way forever.
‘But James and I, whatever our disagreements, are adamant that we won’t weaponise Bodhi or use her as a bargaining tool.’
At the time of their split, the couple wrote on social media: ‘Chloe and I mutually decided separate at the end of September, 2023.
Chloe and James are pictured during a Christmas meal out with daughter Bodhi back in December
‘We had not planned on releasing a statement at this time – certainly not while the television show was airing – but constant speculation about our marriage has, unfortunately, forced our hand.’
Chloe added: ‘Beyond this statement, we will not be speaking about this matter publicly, and we would request privacy at this time.
‘Our sole focus now is our beautiful daughter. We shall continue to co-parent with nothing but love.’
Sharing his own statement to Instagram, James added: ‘It’s with a lot of sadness I write this post, but unfortunately, in the world we live in, it has to be done.
‘My priority is my daughter’s and Chloe’s happiness and security. For that reason, I won’t be commenting any further.’
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