Walking arm-in-arm and clutching healthy-looking smoothies as they smiled lovingly at each other, Jacqueline Jossa and her husband Dan Osborne appeared happier than ever in May as they were photographed hitting the gym together.
Their loved-up display came just two years after the former EastEnders actress, 29, who married ex-TOWIE star Dan, 31, in 2017, said she “couldn’t be in the same house as him” during lockdown and was forced to temporarily move out of their family home and seek therapy.
Now, friends tell Closer that although their joint workouts have played a huge part in enabling the couple to spend more time together and rebuild their relationship, they are now causing issues. And while health-conscious Jacqueline has been happy to join in with Dan’s passion for fitness, insiders reveal the mum-of-two– who shares daughters Ella, seven, and four-year-old Mia with Dan – has divulged to friends that she’s “been running herself ragged” and has started to fear his workout fixation is taking over their family life.
A source says, “Jac has confessed to mates that she’s been running herself ragged trying to keep up with his love of fitness, as one thing she wanted to do to keep them on track was to join Dan in his daily gym workouts – even though it’s not really her thing.
“Dan is dedicated to maintaining his body – he needs to be working out at least twice a day, and none of Jac’s mates feel she shares that level of commitment. She likes to stay healthy and thinks it’s important to keep fit, just not at the same level as Dan.”
Jacqueline has always been open about her relationship with her body and health, saying last year, “I’m a working mum and a size 12 and I can’t walk around looking perfect all the time and I’ve accepted that’s completely fine.”
The insider adds, “It’s starting to become a bit boring for Jac, but at the same time she doesn’t want to give up the time they share together as she fears being apart is what caused issues for them in the first place.
“Despite everything, it’s also hard for her to admit that she still fears she can’t trust him if left alone. They’ve been doing their best to put all their relationship drama in the past – but some close pals and family members are worried that Jac and Dan are still not out of the woods.”
The couple’s marriage has been plagued by rumours of trouble ever since Dan was first accused of cheating on Jacqueline back in 2018, when he was photographed looking very close to Love Island star Gabby Allen on a yacht after they had both attended the same Marbella bootcamp.
Both Dan and Gabby strenuously denied the claims, but Gabby admitted she had been forced to “explain” the pictures to Jacqueline, who was pregnant at the time.
However, despite a trail of denials, in 2020 Dan admitted, “I’ve been an idiot but she’s forgiven me. I’ve made mistakes, yeah. I’ve done things I shouldn’t have done. Me and Jac have spoken about that and she has forgiven me.
“I know in the past I’ve denied things when they’re not true, then when something has been true, I probably just kept my mouth shut. I was a different person.”
At the time, Dan revealed how he chose to “get p***ed” rather than working through his marital problems.
And while the couple vowed to make a fresh start, with Jacqueline posting a picture of her and Dan on Instagram with the caption “Love him” earlier this month, the source reveals how Dan’s fitness obsession caused tensions between them again during their recent family holiday to a UK Butlin’s park.
They said, “On their holiday, Jac had been hoping that they could just spend some time chilling as a family but Dan has been really eager to make it active – encouraging them all to go on walks and he wants him and Jac to get in some circuit training techniques while they’re staying at Butlin’s.
“It stresses her out because working out is not Jac’s idea of a break or a holiday. She’s already exhausted from looking after the kids and doesn’t want to give herself anymore work to do. Her close mates think she should be more honest about the fact that they obviously have very different interests.”
However, the source reveals how Jacqueline is being careful not to cause a fuss over it. They added, “Jac has never got over him publicly admitting to cheating on her in the past, and has said to pals that as a result of that she will always feel as though they are being judged in their marriage – which is why she tries to go that extra mile with him.
“Her pals say she has every right to slow down and not push herself into scenarios where she’s not being herself or not feeling comfortable.”