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James Haskell shares emotional moment with daughter after argument with ex Chloe Madeley

James Haskell has opened up about a moment involving his daughter that left him unexpectedly emotional, after a simple trip took a turn he wasn't prepared for

[James Haskell]

James Haskell(Image: Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

James Haskell has opened up about a surprisingly emotional moment with his young daughter, admitting it left him reflecting on the huge responsibility that comes with being a parent.

The former rugby star was speaking on the No Parental Guidance podcast when he was asked to share one of his parenting fails. What followed was a story about a seemingly small mistake that became a much more profound moment for James.

James, who shares his daughter Bodhi with his ex-wife Chloe Madeley, explained that the pair had previously argued about how much time each of them spends with their daughter.

He said: "I am a single parent. I worked it out, Chloe and I argued about it. I still have her 50% of the time essentially but I think she boiled it down to 38.9% of the time or something like that."

He then recalled taking his daughter to her first swimming lesson, admitting he had booked the session himself but arrived without some of the essentials.

[James Haskell, Chloe Madeley and their daughter Bodhi]

James Haskell, Chloe Madeley and their daughter Bodhi(Image: instagram/madeleychloe)

James said: "I realised that, you needed a swimming hat, goggles, I hadn't brought any of the things that I was supposed to bring."

Fortunately, he was able to buy what he needed at the swimming venue, but the experience prompted James to reflect on how much he was still learning as a father.

He joked that other parents at the swimming lesson may have been more prepared, before explaining that putting a swimming hat on his daughter was unfamiliar territory for him.

James then described the moment he was helping Bodhi get ready, with the experience suddenly taking on a much greater emotional significance.

He said: "This little child has infinite trust in me. She doesn't know what she's doing. I'm here trying to put her hair in it."

As he tried to arrange her hair underneath the swimming hat and help her with goggles she had never worn before, James said he became overwhelmed by the responsibility of caring for his daughter.

[Chloe Madeley and James Haskell ]

Chloe Madeley and James Haskell (Image: Dave Benett/Getty Images)

He explained: "I'm taking my daughter to a swimming lesson. I can't believe the responsibility and I don't really know what I'm doing."

James admitted that he became emotional as his daughter was led away for the lesson.

He recalled: "I welled up a bit, and then she got led away into the thing, and I was just confronted with all these emotions."

The moment continued as James watched his daughter through the window, where she waved at him before getting on with her swimming lesson.

Reflecting on the experience, James described it as a particularly powerful moment of parenthood, despite what had initially been a simple mistake over swimming equipment.

He said: "It was just one of those really nice moments. It was a nice moment but also a stark contrast of the trust and responsibility I have, and I have no idea what I'm doing."

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