It’s been six years since her divorce from her husband of 20 years, Jamie Redknapp, but Louise Redknapp finally appears to have found love again after making her relationship with younger man Drew Michael official last week.
Louise, 48 – who shares Charley, 19, and Beau, 14, with Jamie – is thought to have been dating businessman Drew, 39, for a few months, but has remained coy, recently saying, “It’s so difficult with your personal life… it’s all good.”
And a source now tells Closer that the former Strictly star’s pals are thrilled for Louise, but that there’s an element of wariness – as it’s her first public relationship since her marriage ended.
The source says, “Louise is feeling really excited about her new romance and is loving spending time with Drew. She’s the happiest she’s been in a long time and is over the moon to have found someone she can see a future with.
“Her friends love seeing how happy she is, but naturally they’re protective of her and they don’t want her to rush things. They want her to find someone she can be with long term, and they’re hoping that that’s Drew.”
The former Eternal singer split from Jamie, 50, in 2017, a year after she appeared on Strictly. She has been candid about the break-up, admitting that “s**t hit the fan” when the dance show forced her to realise she didn’t want to be a “Stepford wife” to Jamie any longer.
However, the former pop star later admitted that she wished she had “paused a minute” before rushing her divorce, and was said to have been taken by surprise when Jamie moved on with model Frida Andersson-Lourie, 39, two years later. The couple married in 2021 and share one-year-old son Raphael together.
Meanwhile, Louise has remained single until getting together with military defence CEO Drew, 39. But while friends and fans are hoping this is the real deal for Louise, another insider warns Louise that they hope it doesn’t end sourly, like a past relationship of his.
An insider says, “Drew didn’t behave in the best way in a previous relationship – he left one girl in particular feeling hurt. It’s good news that he’s happy dating Louise, but there is a worry that she could end up heartbroken.”