Jamie Redknapp has remarried, four years after his split from wife of 19 years, Louise. The footballer and his new wife Frida Andersson-Lourie opted for a small ceremony at Kensington and Chelsea Register Office in London on Monday, surrounded by 30 of their closest friends and family.
Jamie, 48, has been dating model Frida, 38, since last summer, and the couple are expecting their first child together. Jamie and Louise’s two boys, who are 17 and 12, were also present at the ceremony and - reportedly - this is the only reason Jamie’s ex knew he was tying the knot at all.
A source told OK! Magazine that Louise, 46, was ‘quite shocked’ by the news and that the couple had ‘kept it very under wraps’. The former Strictly finalist ‘didn’t have a lot of time to prepare’ for the fact that the father of her two sons was getting married.
But did Louise’s ex owe it to her to tell her? Considering she wasn’t to be a guest at Jamie and Frida’s wedding, is there any reason she should have known about it at all?
Considering Louise and Jamie were married almost 20 years and are co-parents to two children under the age of 18, there’s a strong case for the singer receiving important life updates directly from her former partner.
After all, who wants to hear major life news about a co-parent they’re, presumably, in regular contact with from someone else or, worse, from the press?
Even setting aside the practical nature of the former couple’s relationship, it’s likely that an ex long-term partner may have complex feelings about you remarrying, and that they may prefer to hear your news from the horse’s mouth.
Our neoliberal dating culture often promotes cutting contact with people when it no longer serves us to hear from them, forever reminding us that we don’t ‘owe’ anyone anything. This is, of course, technically true. But just because we aren’t obligated to consider an ex’s feelings (and no one is imploring us to do so via a pastel-coloured Instagram infographic) doesn’t mean that it isn’t the right thing to do. ‘Block, delete and move on’ is a fine mantra when it comes to dating app fuckbois but, for those who still occupy an important space in your life, more consideration is required.
No one is saying we’re obliged to spend an afternoon ringing everyone we’ve ever slept with every time we reach a new life milestone. But telling a co-parent you’ve known for 25 years that you’re getting married? Not much to ask.