Louise Redknapp filed for divorce in March 2017.
Louise and Jamie Redknapp
The 42-year-old singer and her former footballer husband Jamie - who tied the knot in 1998 - were given permission to terminate their 19-year marriage at the Central Family Court in London on Friday (29.12.17) morning and it has now been revealed that the marriage had been over for some time.
According to documents obtained by the Sun on Sunday, Louise filed the paperwork in March, just after the 'Strictly Come Dancing' tour ended.
An insider told the paper: "The marriage was over long before anyone previously believed."
A decree absolute ending the marriage can be issued after six weeks should the couple reach amicable terms on custody of their two sons, Charley, 13, and Beau, nine, and no objections are formally made.
Louise felt things needed to change in the marriage after she competed on 'Strictly Come Dancing' last year and realised she had "lost" herself and turned into a "Stepford Wife" whose only focus was on running the family home - but she admitted "no one" understood her desire to fulfill herself creatively once again.
She previously said: "I have spent most of my life pleasing everyone else, worrying about being judged and thinking I should always do the right thing by staying at home, looking after my kids and my husband. I lost myself. Looking after my family was my reality. I became a sort of Stepford Wife, wanting to be perfect at it.
"It was only when I agreed to do 'Strictly Come Dancing' that I realised I couldn't just go back to that. I didn't want to continue running around after everyone else, and occasionally promoting a yogurt or doing a little TV presenting job.
"I wanted to sing, I wanted to perform. I wanted to go back to work on a stage in front of an audience. I actually felt physically sick at the idea that I'd never have that buzz again, that fulfilment I get from performing. And that is when the s**t hit the fan. No one could understand why it was so desperately important to me."
And Louise admitted it was "pretty hard" seeing Jamie, 44, move from a successful soccer player to a well-respected pundit and a panellist on 'A League of Their Own'.
She said: "Standing by and watching Jamie become this entertainment star was pretty hard. I was proud of him, but there was part of me thinking, 'That's my world'. I could see the excitement he got out of it and I knew how that felt. But it wasn't me feeling it any more."
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