Rachel Stevens admitted she was “in turmoil” and questioned whether she “did the right thing” when she filed for divorce from her ex-husband Alex Bourne.
The 46-year-old S Club 7 star split from her 12-year-old husband Alex, 47, in 2022 after falling for her professional Dancing On Ice partner Brendyn Hatfield, 37.
Rachel admitted that the decision to end her marriage was difficult, but she wanted to show her daughters Amelie and Minnie that happiness is all that matters.
She told The Mirror: ‘There were a lot of fears and a lot of questions… ‘Am I doing the right thing?’ I was in turmoil.’
She added: ‘The most important thing was the children. It was a very difficult time, but I’m not someone who believes in keeping a relationship going for the children.’
Rachel Stevens has admitted she was ‘in turmoil’ and questioned whether she ‘did the right thing’ when she filed for divorce from ex-husband Alex Bourne (pictured in 2017)
Rachel admitted the decision to end her marriage was difficult, but she wanted to show her daughters Amelie and Minnie that happiness is all that matters (pictured on Lorraine last month)
The 46-year-old S Club 7 star split from Alex, 47, her husband of 12 years, in 2022 after falling for her professional Dancing On Ice partner Brendyn Hatfield, 37 (both pictured on the show in February 2022)
She also admitted that parents want to teach their children how to be happy and how to love life.
Rachel admitted it wasn’t “easy to navigate”: “It’s not easy to navigate, but it’s life. It shows kids that there’s more to life than just getting married and having kids.”
When Rachel and the real estate mogul split, they were determined to follow in the footsteps of actress Gwyneth Paltrow and Coldplay singer Chris Martin and part ways amicably.
According to The mirrorThey wanted their children to be central to all the decisions they made and even went to therapy to discuss how they would break the news to their daughters.
Rachel said during her speech at the Happy Place festival: ‘I remember that day so clearly… we were both so scared to tell them, but we had planned it.’
“We were advised to do it in the morning when the kids weren’t tired. It’s something you have to trudge through, but we were as planned as we could be.”
Rachel was worried about the effects of the divorce on her children. She wanted to reassure her children and make them feel safe.
She claimed that she and Alex wanted the same thing: “It was all about them and making them feel like we’re here and we’re not going anywhere.”
She told The Mirror: ‘There were a lot of fears and a lot of questions… ‘Am I doing the right thing?’ I was in turmoil’ (Alex and Rachel pictured together in 2018)
She added: ‘The most important thing was the children. It was a very difficult time, but I’m not someone who believes in keeping a relationship going for the children’ (pictured on Lorraine last month)
The singer also admitted that they never talk bad about each other and that despite the problems between them, they try to stay apart as much as possible.
She announced in July 2022 that she had split from her childhood sweetheart Alex, just a month before their 13th anniversary.
Rachel officially became a couple with skater Brandyn in November 2023, after they were first paired on the ITV show and struck up a friendship in early 2022.
The star previously revealed how her crush on Brendyn led to her “messy” split from Alex.
Speak with The sun She admitted: ‘[The split] was messy. I knew we were growing, that I was growing apart, but I was in turmoil, because first of all my children.
Rachel then shared how she felt when she told her ex-husband Alex about Brendyn, admitting: “It was really scary because as soon as I said that, I knew that was it.”
Rachel and Brendyn were unfortunately among the first couples eliminated from the skating series, leaving the competition in week 4. However, they did not let this deteriorate their relationship.
A source said at the time: ‘Rachel had a really good friendship and partnership with Brendyn and that continues to develop. She didn’t expect to find love again at this stage in her life, but she’s positive about what’s to come and hopeful for a new beginning.’
It comes after she announced in July 2022 that she had split from her childhood sweetheart, Alex, just a month before their 13th anniversary
The star then became official with skater Brendyn (pictured) in November 2023, after they were first linked together on the ITV show and struck up a friendship in early 2022
Rachel announced the news of her split on Instagram: ‘I wanted to let you all know that after much consideration, Alex and I have made the difficult decision to separate.’
“While we are no longer partners in marriage, we remain partners in the parenting of our beautiful daughters and continue to love and respect one another.”
“I am so incredibly grateful for the life we have built together and I continue to focus on the future, together as a family.”
Rachel and Alex, who were in love as children and met again as adults, married in 2009 at Claridge’s in London.
The duo walked down the aisle to S Club 7 hit Never Had A Dream Come True and her bandmates – Bradley McIntosh, Hannah Spearritt, Jo O’Meara, Jon Lee, Paul Cattermole and Tina Barrett – were there to hear them say ‘I do’.