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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Connie Rusk

Jamie Redknapp says he's gone 'full circle' as he talks becoming dad again at 48

Jamie Redknapp has given a rare insight into becoming a dad at 48.

The footballer, now 49, welcomed son Raphael with wife Frida Andersson, 38, last November after a whirlwind romance.

The couple had been together just over a year when they became new parents - a month after marrying secretly in Chelsea's Old Town Hall in an intimate ceremony with just 30 close friends and family.

And now father-of-three Jamie, who is fiercely private about his private life, speaks out about being a new dad in his parent's new autobiography, When Harry Met Sandra.

Jamie, who is dad to Charlie, 18, and Beau, 13, from his previous marriage to Louise Redknapp, writes how he feels a bit rusty as it has been 13 years since Beau was a baby.

Of him mum Sandra's close bond with Raphael, who the family affectionately nickname Rafa, Jamie writes: "She loves coming up to see Rafa and when they are together, it is just adorable. It is a new thing for both of us; it has been 13 years since my last son, Beau, was born.

Jamie Redknapp has given a rare insight into becoming a dad at 48 (Instagram)

"Now I have gone full circle and I’m doing it again, and my mum is the same in that she gets a new baby grandchild again. When she holds Rafa, it makes me feel so happy. It really is so lovely to see.

"Everyone tells me that Rafa looks like my dad – unfortunately! – but I think my dad looks like every baby, haha!"

As for his teenage sons, Jamie says he is much tougher with their education as opposed to his parents.

He encourages them to achieve as his parents did when they saw how talented he was on the football pitch.

Recalling how he used to bunk off school to train with his father, Jamie says: "If my boys were ever rude or bad mannered or spoke badly, well, I just can’t have that."

Jamie goes on to pay tribute to his mum, saying he often tells his dad that he "won the lottery" as his mother is so "kind and gentle".

The footballer, now 49, welcomed son Raphael with wife Frida Andersson last November (Instagram / @jamie.redknapp)
They married a month before Rafa's birth (Instagram)

Elsewhere in the book, Sandra speaks of her pride at seeing Jamie happy again as she watches him adapt to being a new dad.

"It is lovely to see Jamie happy, it is all Harry and I can ask for. All we want is for our boys to be happy. That is all we have ever wanted," she says.

The wedding day marked the second marriage for both Jamie and Frida.

Jamie loves Rafa's special bond with his grandmother (@jamie.redknapp/Instagram)
Jamie speaks of his closeness to his mum Sandra in his parent's new autobiography (jamie.redknapp/Instagram)

The football star was previously married to pop songstress Louise, 46, between 1998 and 2018 – with the couple splitting not long after the singer was a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing in 2016.

Frida was previously married to American hedge fund manager, Jonathan Lourie – who previously featured on The Sunday Times Rich List in 2013 and is said to be worth £80 million.

When Harry met Sandra is out now (Mirror Books)

Frida and Jonathan share four children together.

Sandra says both she and Harry thought Frida was "lovely" when Jamie first introduced her to them and admires her for how she co-parents with her ex-husband.

"And just like Jamie is with his two sons, Frida’s ex is very much involved in raising their kids, and I think that is so important", she says.

When Harry Met Sandra is out on Thursday (September 29), £20, published by Mirror Books

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