Singer Louise Redknapp, 51, has reportedly split from her boyfriend Drew Michael, 42, after two years of dating. The relationship marked the singer's first serious romance since her divorce from former footballer-turned-pundit Jamie Redknapp in 2017.
Sources revealed that the couple decided to end their relationship amicably after deciding it had run its course. Drew Michael is believed to have moved abroad for work, resulting in a clean break for the pair.
A source told The Sun that Louise Redknapp and Drew Michael decided to end things a little while ago. The source said things had been really good between them, but both felt it was best to move on. The source added that Louise Redknapp has thrown herself back into her social life and busy work schedule. Representatives for Louise Redknapp were contacted by Daily Mail for comment.
Work Schedule and Summer Performances
Following the split, Louise Redknapp is reportedly embracing a new era of confidence. In May, she revealed plans for the next two years of her life to be filled with tenacity and f****r energy. Speaking to Attitude Magazine while celebrating her performance at Mighty Hoopla in June, she said, "If I offend anyone. Sorry."
In an interview with Woman And Home in June, Louise Redknapp said she is the most confident she has ever been. "I spent a long time during my career thinking I shouldn't be there, it's that self-worth thing," she explained. "In later life you do find your confidence, and maybe I'm just at an age now where I care a lot less about what people think and I know what's important in life."
Friends insist that Louise Redknapp is thriving, enjoying girls' trips in Ibiza and Portugal, as well as spending time with her family. Her latest Instagram update over the weekend showed summer moments with friends Sarah Cox and Tess Daly. Over the summer, she performed at LeeStock, Mighty Hoopla, and Dreamland Margate, wearing PVC stage looks and a Madonna coned look alongside shirtless male dancers at Mighty Hoopla in June. She is preparing for her headline Naked Confessions Tour next April, which marks 30 years since her debut album Naked.
Relationship With Drew Michael
Louise Redknapp and Drew Michael were first spotted together in September 2023. She made their relationship Instagram official in November 2023 to celebrate his 40th birthday. During their two years together, the couple enjoyed a family ski trip and attended the Glastonbury festival together.
Speaking about her relationship with Drew Michael last May following the release of her sixth album Confessions, Louise Redknapp told The Sun, "Drew's great. We're having a lovely time together. It took me a long time to get to that place and be open about anything. I was very guarded and scared. But I'm really enjoying having special times with someone. He's a great guy and super-kind."
When asked if wedding bells were on the horizon, she added, "Oh, I'm not even thinking that far ahead. I'm not even going there. I just want to be proud of this and I want to really enjoy it. I've met a really great guy and I'm really happy. But you never know what the future holds."
Strictly Come Dancing and Divorce From Jamie
The split comes nearly a decade after Louise Redknapp's 19-year marriage to Jamie Redknapp broke down in July 2017. The mother-of-two shares sons Charlie, 20, and Beau, 17, with her ex-husband. The marriage breakdown followed her participation in Strictly Come Dancing in 2016.
Louise Redknapp described taking part in the BBC dance show as the first selfish thing she had done since the birth of her children, adding that Jamie Redknapp agreed it would be a nice thing for her to do. Amid the dancing, camaraderie, laughs, and excitement, she realized singing and performing made her happy again. She admitted feeling sick at the thought that that part of her life was over, realizing she had lost herself during her marriage and could not return to a Stepford Wife lifestyle.
Shortly after news of the split broke in 2017, she was seen attending glitzy events alongside her friend Daisy Lowe, whom she met on Strictly Come Dancing. Louise Redknapp told The Telegraph that moving out while still in love was the hardest part, calling Jamie Redknapp an amazing man with whom she had 20 good years. She added, "I have no idea what is going to happen, all I know is that I fought for this, it's taken everything, but this is something I need to do, for me."
Later in 2017, Louise Redknapp returned to the stage as leading lady Sally Bowles in the West End production of Cabaret. She said, "Sally is extremely vulnerable, extremely fragile, yet on the outside, she's a very ballsy woman who wants to be a star and does all she can to survive." She added, "I think lots of women will relate to how she puts on a brave face and always soldiers on, even when she's terribly wounded and terribly hurt and insecure and unsure."
Musical Comeback and Single Life
Reflecting on the split two years later during an interview on This Morning, Louise Redknapp insisted she still does not know why her marriage to Jamie Redknapp broke down after 19 years. "I wish I knew, it was really sad and sad times for the whole family," she said. "It's something that takes a long time to get over." She hit back at rumors linking the split to the Strictly curse, saying, "What the programme did for me just reminded me how much I loved performing. My kids see that now they come to their gigs and say 'do you know what mum it's been a tough time but it's really lovely to see you singing along in a car'."
Her separation from Jamie Redknapp sparked her musical comeback with the release of her album Heavy Love in early 2020, marking her first album release in 18 years. She told Richard and Judy, "I think it was just life, life got in the way I got married and had a family and as time goes on the industry changes so much, you need something to happen for there to be a reason. It wasn't meant to be 18 years it just happened. I did Strictly and wanted to get back out there working, and someone in management said: 'Do you fancy doing a one-off gig.' I was really scared it had been a long time. I spent a long time making an album, then we sat down and looked at all the music they said you really need to do an album."
Following her divorce, Louise Redknapp stayed single for over three years. In a 2020 interview, she said she had not been on a date since the split and doubted she would ever have a boyfriend, before meeting Drew Michael in 2023.
