Louise Redknapp says she lost touch with many of her friends after her split from her ex-husband Jamie Redknapp.

Louise Redknapp

Louise Redknapp

The 46-year-old singer split from Jamie in 2017 after almost two decades of marriage, and has now claimed the breakup caused her to drift away from many of her friends, as they continued to enjoy “couples’ night out” without her because she was “the single friend”.

She said: “Recently, a friend came round who I hadn’t seen for a while. I got quite upset and I told her I missed my girlfriends who I’d got to know when I was with Jamie.

“It’s hard, because these women were my friends. We went on holiday together, went out for dinner together, and shared countless special memories.

“While they still enjoy their couples’ nights out - birthday parties, Christmas dos, drinks and the like, I’m only invited for coffee.

“All of a sudden, I’m the single friend who doesn’t get invited to the couples’ parties. When a couple goes through a break-up, it can become an awkward game of picking sides.”

But Louise - who has Charley, 16, and Beau, 12, with Jamie - isn’t too bothered about losing friends, as she says those who cut her off were never her “true friends”.

Writing in her upcoming book, ‘You’ve Got This’, she added: “When you see weddings and big parties online, it can be pretty hard to swallow. I feel that everyone took their side, and in some cases this meant cutting me off completely.

“But in a way, maybe it’s for the best. If they are the kind of people that don’t want to be my friend or keep in touch, that’s fine. It just shows they weren’t true friends.”

Meanwhile, the former Eternal singer previously said married to a football star is more "challenging" than people imagine.

She explained: "There is so much more to being in a relationship with a footballer than going out and looking a certain way. Of course, being in football offers amazing opportunities, and footballers are paid huge sums of money, but it's not all straightforward.

"You might be asked to pack up your kids and move countries with 48 hours' notice because your husband has been signed to a new team.

"It's not easy for your kids to be uprooted and to have to leave their friends and schools when they're happy and settled."