James Haskell admits he has ‘court battles to come’ following his split from Chloe Madeley as he confides in rugby pal Mike Tindall

James Haskell has confided in his rugby boyfriend Mike Tindall after announcing his split from wife Chloe Madeley.

Chloe, 36, and James, 38, confirmed the end of their marriage last week, just over a year after welcoming their first child, daughter Bodhi.

In the days since the announcement, former England international James has spoken about the difficult time with Zara Tindall’s husband Mike and admitted they were preparing for a court battle.

The pair were chatting on Wednesday night for the second date in the live tour of their podcast The Good, The Bad and The Rugby, with James tackling the big issue head-on.

“So for those of you who don’t know, my wife and I are divorced,” he told the audience at the London Palladium. “We are divorced, but we are 100 percent committed to my daughter.”

“It’s clearly a complicated time and we need to play this out for the media. Because I haven’t said anything, people are filling that void and filling that silence.”

“And obviously this week, over the last three or four weeks, there’s been a lot of guesses.”

Despite some heated scenes together on their ITV reality show A Family Affair, James insisted during the chat with Mike and Alex Payne that he and Chloe ‘don’t really argue’.

He did admit that he needed a lawyer friend for “business” after the split, saying, “We’ve had some lawsuits, we’ve got some lawsuits coming up with a few other things.”

James referenced his breakup with Chloe several times during the event with his friend, and at one point also joked that he would “need” his public school education to charm girls.

In one skit he teased, “Rum and milk? Is he a prostitute from 1835? I think Jack the Ripper killed someone with gin and milk. Sweeney Todd cuts his heroin… good references, well educated, public school, don’t worry. Quadruple threat. I need it now that I’m single. It’s a joke. But actually no.’

On Tuesday night, James made a series of mean comments while recording another part of the podcast.

The show saw him and his co-hosts perform at the G-Live center in Guildford, Surrey, to a packed house – with James mentioning his failed relationship several times during the two-and-a-half-hour performance.

Split: Chloe, 36, and James, 38, announced the end of their marriage last week, just over a year after welcoming their first child, daughter Bodhi

Convo: James has spoken about the difficult time with Zara Tindall’s husband Mike and admitted they were preparing for a lawsuit. The pair were chatting on Wednesday night for the second date in the live tour of their podcast The Good, The Bad and The Rugby

For example: Despite some heated scenes together on their ITV reality show A Family Affair, James insisted during the chat with Mike that he and Chloe ‘don’t really argue’

During the first half of the show, the audience had laughed as he made a fool of himself, but it was his joke about the collapse of the Twin Towers – which killed almost 3,000 in 2001 – that led to an audibly sharp intake of breath. from the crowd.

James – who littered his performance with four-letter words – told a story about former England coach Andy Farrell asking players to be honest with him and staff about their methods at the team training center.

He said: ‘He went straight to Tom Wood, former player, and he collapsed like the Twin Towers…’

The audience gasped and someone shouted “Jesus!”

James said, “What? Too obscene? Fuck you, that was the jerk of 9/11, it’s time to get over it in 2023.’

As the audience turned uncomfortably in their seats, he continued, “I’m kidding, kidding.”

Then he laughed nervously and added, “It’s okay. Don’t worry, I’m not coming back to Guildford, it’s okay.’

His co-hosts held their heads as he made the joke and then delivered the anecdote to the hushed crowd, while one was heard telling a friend: “That was a bit close to the knuckle.”

The podcast recording was James’ first work commitment since he announced the end of his five-year marriage to Chloe.

End of an era: The podcast recording was James’ first work commitment since announcing the end of his five-year marriage to Chloe (pictured in 2018)

Chloe and James, who married in 2018, had fueled speculation about their relationship after the personal trainer emerged without her wedding ring while partying with friends – shortly after the former rugby player was pictured chatting to a mystery blonde outside a nightclub in London.

In a joint update shared on Instagram last week, they announced: “Chloe and I have mutually decided to separate at the end of September 2023.

‘We had no intention of releasing a statement at the time – especially while the television show was airing – but the continued speculation about our marriage has unfortunately forced our hand.

“Other than this statement, we will not speak publicly about this matter and would like to request privacy at this time.

‘Our sole focus now is on our beautiful daughter. We will continue to co-parent with nothing but love.”