Sophie Ellis-Bextor has admitted signing up for Strictly Come Dancing put a serious strain on her marriage.
The singer has been married to Richard Jones since 2005, and the couple are parents to five sons – Sonny, Kit, Ray, Jesse, and Mickey.
Back in 2013, Sophie appeared on the popular BBC show, and came fourth place with her professional partner Brendan Cole.
In an extract of her new book Spinning Plates, published by the UK Mail on Sunday, the 42-year-old admitted the show caused a lot of friction between her and Richard.
“Richard started to struggle with my involvement from the launch show onwards,” she wrote.
“It was so hard for him that I can remember wondering if they’d ever had a contestant walk away from the show before they’d even danced their first dance.”
The mother-of-five said her husband “became unusually insistent” on knowing where she was all the time.
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“If I didn’t reply to a text, he’d spiral,” she explained. “Supporting me in all that I do usually came so easily to him, but with Strictly I think he was just waiting for it to end.”
“He’d message me all day when I was rehearsing, extra keen to know my schedule. We would argue when I was home about how distracted I was and about whether I’d get through to the next week.”
“He just felt as if I might slip into a new life that left our family behind,” she wrote.
“I had no such desire, but was too spent at the end of the day to give the reassurance he needed. I think the only real reassurance could come with the show finishing.”
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Eventually, Richard started seeing a counsellor, which “really helped”.
Sophie added: “We never doubted our love for each other but I think Richard worried that I just wouldn’t want our life again. But of course I did. To me, my family is everything.”
Although it caused problems in her marriage, the songstress doesn’t regret her time on the show.
“I’m glad I did it and dancing the Charleston is one of my favourite things I’ve ever done, and thank you to Brendan for making the whole show lots of fun,” she wrote.
“We never argued and I’m proud of that, but I’m prouder still I didn’t cry or anything.”
“I kept part of myself back and no matter what I was asked to do, I never did more than I meant.”
“It took more strength than you’ll know but hey, it’s just a nice thing I did once.”
