Although Dan Osborne and Jacqueline Jossa seemed to have called time on their eight-year marriage just weeks ago, things don’t appear to be quite so black and white after the couple were spotted looking cosy on a family holiday together last week. But, a source tells heat that friends of Jacqueline – who shares daughters Ella, 10, and Mia, six, with Dan – are deeply concerned about the couple reconciling and fear she could be making a mistake.
The pair released a joint statement announcing their separation last month, adding, ‘Jacqueline and Dan’s children remain their top priority, surrounded by love and care from both parents — something that will never change.’ While sources at the time said they weren’t rushing into a divorce, we’re told that they may have taken things a step further and already rekindled their relationship. Pictures from the holiday show the couple acting very affectionately with each other, with Dan appearing to kiss his estranged wife’s neck as she lay on a sun lounger.
'They’re still spending a lot of time together,’ an insider tells heat. ‘As well as this holiday, they’ve been hanging out together, going for lunch, and going to the gym. Jac says it’s important they get on for the kids, but her friends are worried there might be more to it. Both Jac and Dan find it really hard to not slip back into things – they’ve been together for so long, so it’s hard for them to just walk away, plus they do want to keep things friendly.’
The source continues, ‘Jac and Dan seem to be trapped in a constant cycle of separating, getting back together, separating, then getting back together. There is love there between them, even though the relationship can be toxic at times.’
Jac, 32, and Dan, 33, first met at an awards show in 2013, and she became pregnant the following year. Two years into their relationship, they were rocked after a leaked recording emerged apparently featuring Dan threatening ex-girlfriend Megan Tomlin, who gave birth to Dan’s son Teddy in 2013. In the recording, Dan can be heard yelling, ‘If you go near another man, I promise you I will stab you in the f**king throat.’
In 2017, just a year after he and Jac tied the knot, there were reports that Dan had cheated with Love Island starGabby Allen. Although he strongly denied these claims at the time, the newlyweds did briefly split up before reconciling shortly after.
Dan was then linked to former another former Love Islander, Alexandra Cane, after reports surfaced that they’d kissed in a nightclub, followed by further bombshell claims that he’d a threesome with his Celebrity Big Brotherco-stars Natalie Nunn and Chloe Ayling.
Once again, Dan vehemently denied all claims of cheating, but after Jacqueline spoke about the stories on 2019’s I’m A Celeb – which she went on to win – Dan publicly apologised to his wife for ‘the mistakes I’ve made’. The following year, he admitted, ‘I’ve done things I shouldn’t have done… she has forgiven me.’
In 2020, during the pandemic, Jacqueline moved out of the home she shared with Dan, but the pair soon got back together. Speaking about that time, Jacqueline said, ‘Lockdown was a really good time and place for Daniel and I to go through everything, an opportunity for us to talk through it all.
For me, this meant turning to therapy, and because of that, I couldn’t be in the same house as Dan. There was no big argument or bust-up, and there were no other girls. Moving out was literally how I had to deal with it.’
Split rumours were further fuelled at the start of this year when Dan purchased a house in Southend, although Jac insisted that it was simply an investment. Despite the drama, the pair seemed determined to put on a united front right up until they announced their split. ‘Dan has made mistakes and he’s held his hands up, but for the last few years, he and Jacqueline seemed really strong,’ our insider says. ‘Their main issue was the fact that they weren’t spending that much time together. Jac is always busy working, and Dan has the kids a lot, and that has driven a bit of a wedge between them. That could be why they’re now making the effort to spend time together by going on holiday. They’re trying to get that spark back and see what happens from there.’
However, we’re told Jac’s friends and family worry Dan may not be a changed man. ‘People close to her don’t know what the future holds for her and Dan,’ our insider adds. ‘They’re worried she’s making a mistake by taking him back and think they’re much better off apart— they think she needs to stick by her decision this time.’