Rachel Stevens admitted splitting from her ex-husband Alex Bourne was like “jumping off a cliff.”
The S Club star, 46, revealed her split from Alex during an appearance on BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour on Thursday.
The singer also revealed what it was like to start a new relationship with her former Dancing On Ice partner, Brendyn Hatfield.
She announced that she had separated from her childhood love, Alex, in July 2022, just a month before their 13th anniversary.
Rachel became official with skater Brandyn in November 2023 after being paired for the first time on the ITV show and striking up a friendship in early 2022.
Rachel Stevens admitted splitting from ex-husband Alex Bourne felt like ‘jumping off a cliff’ (pictured together in 2017)
Rachel became official with skater Brandyn in November 2023 after being first paired on the ITV show and striking up a friendship in early 2022 (pictured on the show in February 2022).
Speaking about the split, he admitted: “It’s a lot to navigate, especially with the girls because they’ve always been ahead of the curve.”
‘I’m very lucky, their dad is a great dad and we’ve always been very aligned with keeping them really safe and being really honest.
“We’ve gotten some great advice on how to talk to them age-appropriately and help them feel safe in all of this, because that was my biggest fear: how they’re going to behave in all of this.”
The former couple share two daughters, Amelie, 12, and Minnie, nine.
She continued: ‘You are changing your life. It’s not just a marriage, it’s a family around you, it’s your friendship groups, your home, your children.
‘Changing your whole life, for me it was like jumping off a cliff, like wow, it’s the unknown.
“But I have always believed that we have to be happy, we have to be true to ourselves and it is not something that is decided overnight, it is something that requires a lot of thought and questioning.”
“I haven’t talked much about this publicly because I’m very aware of everyone involved.”
Host Anita Rani then asked the S Club star what it was like dating Brendyn Hatfield.
Rachel announced that she had split from her childhood love, Alex, in July 2022, just a month before their 13th anniversary (pictured together in 2018).
Speaking about the split, he admitted: “It’s a lot of work to navigate, especially with the girls because they’ve always been at the forefront” (Rachel pictured leaving the studio)
He added: “Changing your whole life, for me it was like jumping off a cliff, like, wow, it’s the unknown.”
Earlier this year, Rachel and Brendyn looked every inch the loved-up couple as they snuggled up together in a rare Instagram photo.
Rachel said: ‘We have been very conscious and considerate of everyone involved and it was a very slow process, but when you experience growth in your life, you change and your perspective on life changes.
‘You realize this is what I need, this is what I want, this is what I deserve. And everything is new and it just happens.”
He added: “Everything just evolves and it’s not black and white, it’s just an incredible growth experience.”
It comes after Rachel revealed how falling for Brendyn led to her ‘messy’ split from Alex.
Announcing the news of their divorce, Rachel wrote, “I just wanted to share with you that after time and consideration, Alex and I made the difficult decision to separate.”
speaking to Sun She admitted: ‘(The separation) was complicated. I knew that we were growing up, that I was distancing myself, but I was in crisis, because my children were in the first place.
Rachel went on to remember how she felt telling her now ex-husband Alex that Brendyn admitted: “It was really scary, because I knew as soon as I said that, that was it.”
Unfortunately, Rachel and Brendyn were among the first couples to be eliminated from the skating series, leaving the competition in Week 4, however, they didn’t let it ruin their relationship.
A source said at the time: “Rachel had a great friendship and partnership with Brendyn and it continues to develop…she didn’t expect to find love again at this stage in her life, but she feels positive about what’s to come and is hopeful. “. about a new beginning.’
Announcing the news of their divorce, Rachel wrote on Instagram: “I just wanted to share with you that after time and consideration, Alex and I made the difficult decision to separate.”
‘Even though we are no longer partners in marriage, we will continue to be partners in parenting our beautiful girls and will continue to love and respect each other.
“I feel incredibly grateful for the life we built together and will now continue to focus on moving forward together as a family.”
Rachel and Alex, who were childhood sweethearts and reunited in adulthood, married at Claridge’s in London in 2009.
The pair walked down the aisle to S Club 7’s hit Never Had A Dream Come True, and their bandmates Bradley McIntosh, Hannah Spearritt, Jo O’Meara, Jon Lee, Paul Cattermole and Tina Barrett were there to See them say “I do.” ‘.
The singer was on Woman’s Hour to promote her new book Finding My Voice, which is a memoir about her life.
He described the experience of writing the book, which hit shelves Thursday, as a “real process of unraveling everything and putting the pieces back together and getting serious about self-development and personal growth.”