Celebrity SAS star James Cracknell slams ex-wife for ‘chipping away at his confidence’ weeks after marrying new love
JAMES Cracknell slammed his ex-wife for “chipping away at his confidence” on Celebrity SAS – weeks after marrying his new love.
The Olympian – who starred on Strictly last year – split from first wife Beverley Turner in March 2019 after 17 years of marriage and three children together.
Their relationship was impacted by James’ tragic accident in 2010 when he was knocked off his bike by a lorry travelling at 60mph when he was cycling in Arizona.
He suffered a brain injury left him with epilepsy, a changed personality and short temper.
Opening up how he’d “lost confidence” lately while being interrogated on the Channel 4 show, the former sportsman appeared to lash out at his ex.
“The assumption of having had a serious brain injury is that that then defines the rest of my life and ‘you won’t be able to do that, you won’t be able to do this’,” said 49-year-old James.
“My wife, well now ex-wife – she is an amazing woman and an amazing mother – but she always viewed me through the prism of that incident.
“For someone who you love unconditionally to chip away at your confidence and then me not to reach out to mates and hide away, you’re left thinking… the worst things about yourself.
“I’ve really struggled.”
Last month rowing champ James married his fiancée Jordan Connell.
He got engaged to Jordan in January this year after 17 months together.
He married American financier partner in front of family and friends in Chelsea last month.
James’ ex Beverley spoke out on his wedding day, telling her followers: “It’s a strange day today, my ex-husband got married today – which is quite a strange thing to say and I thought I was going to be totally OK with it, and I am OK with it.
“I’m happier now than I have been for many years and I know James is happier now than he has been for many years – and a big part of that is Jordan, his wife.
“But it also made me quite pensive and I couldn’t quite work out why.”
She continued: “You never get married thinking you’re going to get divorced and although the kids are great and I have a new partner who is amazing with them and in many ways they are lively, resilient children.
“You never have divorced parents as something that you’re totally fine with. I just wanted to say that, but the other thing, I know that lots of people who are part of the brain injury world do follow me, even if you are in the darkest bits of those journeys – which you might be now – you do see the sun again at some point.
“And although it never really leaves you, the impact never really leaves a family, I’ve been thinking about James’s parents today as well.”
Beverley is now happy with boyfriend James Pritchett, and later took to Twitter to share a happy snap of them together as they officially congratulated her ex on his wedding day.
She wrote alongside it: “Huge congratulations from us both to @jamescracknell who gets married today to a wonderful woman who makes him happy.
“Marriage, brain injury and divorce was never Plan A. But to anyone currently in the dark, the sun WILL come out again one day.”