JACQUELINE Jossa’s split from husband Dan Osborne comes just five months after she emerged from the I’m A Celebrity camp as show winner and a changed woman.
Immediately after her jungle journey from ex soap actress to the nation’s sweetheart, Jacqueline admitted to Ant and Dec that it was a “turning point” in her life.
She told the hosts she was viewed as a “doormat” in an emotional interview before she reunited with Dan, who unbeknown to her had made headlines again after another cheating scandal had emerged.
“I didn’t think it would be such a turning point in life,” she said. “I went in as one person, I feel like I have come out as a different person. I’ve grown in confidence and found who I am as a person.”
She added: “I think it’s so easy to care so much what other people think of you, trolls, people who say nasty things for the sake of it and I try to change their opinion.
“Here you have no choice, you have to be you. Here I have different people bigging me up of different ages, I can’t really work out what is happening.
“I’ve always been known as Lauren from EastEnders, or a doormat, or whatever you want to call it, and coming here I have actually proved myself.”
Now five months on HOAR revealed Jacqueline has moved out of the family home she shared with Dan and their daughters Mia and Ella.
Jacqueline’s stock is still high with her huge social media following and sell out fashion collections for In The Style, with who she signed a six-figure deal.
HOAR on Sunday reported how it was Jac’s decision to split from Dan to give her some breathing space and protect her mental health.
A source said: “Jac and Dan have had their problems but lockdown magnifies everything. She needs breathing space.”
The couple’s seven-year relationship has been dogged by claims he was unfaithful with a string of girls.
And the tensions of being shut in for two months have taken their toll — making them yet another celebrity couple to bite the dust during the virus pandemic.
Jacqueline, 27, is believed to have moved in with her parents.
Former Towie star Dan, 28, is understood to be looking after his son from a previous relationship. The couple remain in contact and hope to “reassess” their relationship after further easing of the tough isolation measures.
A source told HOAR on Sunday: “Jac and Dan have had their fair share of problems for the past couple of years but obviously lockdown magnifies everything.
“There’s still a lot of love there but quite simply, Jacqueline needs some breathing space.
“It’s been an incredibly tense past few months and post-jungle Jacqueline has been in trauma dealing with all the speculation surrounding their relationship.”
In January the couple seemed loved up on a sun-kissed holiday in Dubai. And on April 24 Jacqueline posted an Instagram picture of her and Dan, saying: “The weather is stunning. Lots of love to you all.”
The source added: “Ultimately it’s not healthy or natural for anyone to be cooped up for so long, especially when there are underlying tensions anyway.
“They’ve taken the very difficult decision to take a break from one another.
“They also didn’t want the kids to see them bickering. They plan to reassess everything once the coronavirus madness is over.
“There was no third party involved. Jacqueline simply needed to prioritise her mental health. By splitting short-term, she hopes to save their relationship long-term.”
The couple met at an awards do in 2013 and started dating soon after. By then she was a household name as EastEnders’ Lauren Branning, who she played for eight years from 2010.
Dan had been dating teacher Megan Tomlin who was pregnant with their son when he met Jacqueline. The TV stars got engaged in 2015.
And in June 2017 they wed at a Cheshire manor house with guests including fellow Albert Square stars Adam Woodyatt, Dean Gaffney and Jake Wood plus Towie’s James Argent.
But the marriage has been turbulent — and six months ago Dan was forced to make a public apology following infidelity allegations.
Claims that he had been unfaithful even emerged as Jacqueline triumphed on I’m A Celebrity in December — beating the likes of Caitlyn Jenner, Ian Wright, Nadine Coyle and Kate Garraway.
Model Chloe Ayling alleged she had a threesome with Dan and their Celebrity Big Brother co-star Natalie Nunn at the show’s 2018 wrap party.
He vigorously denied it despite photos emerging of the trio entering a hotel.
Dan wrote on Instagram: “So after weeks, months, years of constant articles & rumours, some true, some very untrue I want to publicly say, I know I have made mistakes, we all do as humans, but I’ve made some that have almost cost me my family.
“I have seriously learnt from these massively, so I want to publicly apologise to my beautiful wife and my family for the mistakes I’ve made.
“I am the luckiest man in the world to have what I have with Jacqueline and my 3 incredible children and I will spend the rest of my life being the best husband and dad that I can be.”
A year ago Jacqueline was forced to confirm she and Dan were still together during a fans’ Q&A.
It came after Dan had admitted he didn’t know if the couple would stay married — and after he was pictured getting cosy with a blonde at a party in Los Angeles.
More trouble brewed in March 2019 when he was spotted kissing Love Island’s Alexandra Cane during a night out in Manchester.
In 2018, Dan had walked out on a heavily-pregnant Jacqueline after a trip to Majorca, where he was accused of hooking up with Love Island’s Gabby Allen.
While both parties denied the allegations, Gabby’s then-boyfriend Marcel Somerville fuelled the rumours, tweeting: “Unfortunately the allegations of Gabby cheating on me with Dan Osbourne were brought to my attention by a very, very reliable source.”
In 2015, Dan and model Teddy Edwardes denied engaging in a naked FaceTime chat after pictures surfaced online. That year Sharn Alford and pal Candace Evans claimed they caught Dan’s eye at a club in Maidstone, Kent.
They said he asked them to go back his hotel but they refused.
Jacqueline and Dan still follow each other on social media, and on April 24 she posted her picture of the pair with the caption: “Lots of love to you all, happy Friday. 2020 isn’t going to plan but hey, we are safe and doing the best we can. Home schooling is HARD!”
When quizzed about their marriage, Dan recently said: “If me and Jac were to break up at some point, then that’s life and that’s a decision made by us as a couple.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen. There’s only so much anyone can take. But it’s causing massive problems for us.
“I’m not scared. It’s got to the point where I’ve had enough too.”
During her time in the jungle, Jacqueline shone. With no one to rely on but herself, she proved herself to be kind, fun and spirited.
It’s precisely this spirit she needs to draw on now to get through the coming weeks and months.
Did you miss our previous article…
https://www.hellofaread.com/britains-got-talent/britains-got-talents-amanda-holden-in-tears-as-underwater-act-narrowly-pulls-off-death-defying-escape/
