James Haskell goes public with new Big Brother star girlfriend Sara McLean at Cheltenham – and he’s not the first famous man she’s dated!

James Haskell has unveiled his new girlfriend to the world, Big Brother star Sara McLean. 

The rugby player, 39, was seen holding hands with the glamorous reality starlet, who previously dated US World Cup goalie hero Tim Howard and rugby star Ben Cohen. 

It marks the star’s second romance since his marriage split from Chloe Madeley in October 2023. 

In January he was linked to newly single mother-of-two Helen Barclay, who bore a striking resemblance to Chloe. 

Yet the romance appears to have fizzled out, with James parading his new romance with Saretta at Cheltenham Festival on Wednesday. 

James’s ex-wife Chloe, 37, the mother of his two-year-old daughter Bodhi, previously revealed last month she knows the former Wasps flanker has been “having fun” seeing other people, but maintained the pair still have a healthy relationship as they continue to co-parent.

James Haskell has unveiled his new girlfriend to the world, Big Brother star Sara McLean, with the couple going public at Cheltenham Festival on Wednesday 

The rugby player, 39, was seen holding hands with the glamorous reality starlet, who previously dated US World Cup goalie hero Tim Howard and rugby star Ben Cohen

James and Chloe Madeley, who married in 2018 and share daughter Bodhi, two, confirmed they had split in a joint statement released in October last year

They announced their split in October 2023 after several months of speculation their marriage was on the rocks.

During Chloe’s ITV reality show, Chloe Madeley: A Family Affair, which aired around the same time they announced their split, cracks in their relationship were apparent, especially clashes over James’s new lifestyle which involved DJing abroad and partying with glamorous women, while his wife took care of most of the parenting duties back home.

Speaking to The Sun last month, Chloe – the daughter of veteran TV couple Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan – admitted the latter stages of their marriage was “awful”, “dark” and “painful”.

Chloe said: ‘When you tell people that you are divorcing, everyone sees it as such a negative thing.

‘They say: “This is going to be so hard for you.” And, yes, it is, but the hardest bit was when we were married.

‘The last year of the marriage was awful. It was so dark, painful, and one of the worst periods of my life. It’s a good thing we ended it. It was so incredibly scary. I’m amazed I got through it in the way that I did.

‘I think more people should see it as a positive thing. I’m so proud of myself and so relieved that I actually called it a day.’ 

Sara previously dated US World Cup goalie hero Tim Howard and rugby star Ben Cohen.

In January, James was linked to newly single mother-of-two Helen Barclay – who bore a striking resemblance to Chloe – with the pair enjoying a cosy dinner date 

After their split, the couple still lived together in their north London home and were often spotted together with Bodhi as they tried to be as amicable as they could for their little girl.

Despite some fans thinking the two were back together because of this, Chloe confirmed that they had both moved on, adding she expects the former I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! star to find a new partner before she does.

She said: ‘It’ll probably happen for James long before it happens to me if it hasn’t already.

‘I’m waiting for the conversation to happen at some point.”

Tensions were high before the couple split, with Haskell even claiming Chloe treats him “like a dog” and likened their relationship to “World War Three”.

In one episode of their reality show before their break-up was announced, James moaned: ‘She shushes me like I’m a dog or like I’m a baby. I’m like “shush me again and that’s the last thing you’ll ever do.”‘ 

Chloe went on to explain: ‘The difficulty in mine and James’s relationship comes from the fact that both of us think we’re in charge.’ 

Confirming the end of their marriage in a statement in October 2023, the couple said: ‘Chloe and I mutually decided to separate at the end of September, 2023.

‘We had not planned on releasing a statement at this time – certainly not while the television show was airing – but constant speculation about our marriage has, unfortunately, forced our hand.’

She added: ‘Beyond this statement, we will not be speaking about this matter publicly, and we would request privacy at this time.

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

Sharing his own statement on Instagram, James said: ‘It’s with a lot of sadness I write this post, but unfortunately, in the world we live in, it has to be done.

‘My priority is my daughter’s and Chloe’s happiness and security. For that reason, I won’t be commenting any further.’