Dan

IT has felt like the longest-running showbiz break-up of all time.

Jacqueline Jossa and Dan Osborne have been on and off, and on ‘make or break’ holidays, countless times in their eight-year marriage. But last night we revealed they’ve split again, with friends insisting the EastEnders star has finally accepted there’s no future. Now insiders have revealed what is really going on behind closed doors.

Source insists: “They don’t want to give anyone the satisfaction of knowing it hasn’t worked.

“They’ve always tried their utmost to play happy families, no matter what’s going on behind closed doors.”

That’s because the role of Dan‘s wife will be a tough one to leave behind for the actress who has always protected the ex-Towie star – even if it meant she was cruelly labelled a “doormat” by trolls.

While the mum of two hasn’t put a foot wrong throughout their 13-year relationship, time and time again she’s been embarrassed by cheating scandals and crisis talks.

Now I can reveal why 33-year-old Jacqueline has stood by her man for far longer than many others would have been able to suffer.

On-screen as Albert Square’s bolshy Lauren Branning, she’s seen her womanising dad Max (played by Jake Wood) bed more than 20 women – often in lurid affairs, including his own son’s fiancée.

But away from the scripted soap, Jacqueline is the product of a long-lasting marriage, with her mum, Selina and dad John Jossa celebrating their 45th wedding anniversary last year.

But it’s been far from smooth sailing despite their enduring marriage.

Two years after joining EastEnders at 17, Jacqueline “wept” as her dad John, then 58, was jailed for four years at the Old Bailey for stealing nearly £500,000 of taxpayers’ money.

Just like her mum, who stood by her husband, Jacqueline also remained loyal to Dan when he was sacked from The Only Way Is Essex in 2015 after allegedly threatening his ex-girlfriend Megan, and claiming she was “his property”, when Jacqueline was pregnant with their first daughter, Ella.

Jacqueline only spoke out about the alleged incident once, in which she said she had reprimanded him and would “never fully forgive him”, while Dan admitted: “I mean I said stupid things, I take full responsibility of it and you learn from your mistakes.”

I’m told Jacqueline looks up to both her parents, especially her mum.

In 2014, she credited her mum as her idol, saying, “She’s not just the strongest woman but the strongest person I know. She does everything for our family. Everything”.

Crucially, Selina has taught her that you have to fight to save a marriage – after suffering her fair share of ups and downs throughout her 45-year relationship.

So when Jacqueline said “until death do us part” in her vows to Dan, she meant it.

Like she’s been loyal to EastEnders – being cast as a teenager and returning five years later after taking a break to have a family – Jacqueline has stood by Dan throughout the darkest of times.

She has also kept their marriage problems as private as possible.

Her mum, however, has sometimes seemingly hinted at a strained relationship with her son-in-law.

When the marriage had hit the rocks in previous years, Selina had gone so far as to unfollow Dan on social media.

If she’s happy, we’re happy. We’ll always be there for Jac no matter what anyway.

Mum Selina

Commenting in 2019, when Jaqueline appeared on I’m A Celebrity, Jacqueline’s sister Katrina cautiously told OK!: “We don’t get involved in their relationship, but we’re happy if Jacqueline is happy. Everything seems great at the moment.”

While Selina added: “If she’s happy, we’re happy. We’ll always be there for Jac no matter what anyway.”

‘Quietly quitting’

I believe Jacqueline has recently found herself again after returning to EastEnders.

Five years away, bringing up her family meant she understandably became more reliant on Dan.

But she is living a much more independent, free and happy life, knowing her worth.

Living separate lives recently has given Jacqueline the space she needs while in a positive mindset to work out her future.

It’s claimed former Towie star Dan moved out permanently last month into the house he was said to have bought behind Jac’s back in 2024.

His “secret” Essex pad came to light after the on-off couple announced last March that they had split. The following month, they appeared to rekindle their marriage on a “make or break” family holiday to Mexico.

In a surprise plot twist, friends say Dan has experienced doubts about going through with the divorce — but Jacqueline stood her ground.

A source close to Dan told The Sun last night: “Everyone knows they’ve had their troubles, but after spending some time apart this year, they’ve decided to make the split permanent.

“Their two daughters are their main priority.”

In recent weeks, the couple had unfollowed each other on social media.

However, when approached by The Sun about their marriage ending, the pair re-followed one another.

Jac’s pal said: “It feels too good to be true that she’s finally seen the light, but they’ve both been telling friends it’s over.

“It seemed impossible, but she’s starting to accept not being Dan’s wife and just Jacqueline.

“Her confidence has come flooding back and she’s happier than she’s been in a long time. Jacqueline’s also throwing herself in to work and enjoying every moment being the best mum she can be.

“Life is short — she’s determined not to waste it.”

Jacqueline might not be ready to share with the world that it’s over with Dan, but she’s been “quietly quitting” the marriage over the last few months – and friends hope this time, she’ll finally go through with it.

JACQUELINE Jossa and Dan Osborne’s 13-year relationship has finally come an end and the reason is far less explosive than their scandal-hit time together would suggest.

In simple terms, it just fizzled out, with the pair leading separate lives that saw Dan move into a different house earlier in the year.

Having forgiven multiple cheating accusations over the years, there was no other woman involved this time, instead, Jac has decided to put herself first and refuses to put any more effort into a relationship that’s ran its course.

We take a look back at some of the biggest moments they faced during their time together.

GABBYGATE

Jacqueline walked out on ex-Towie star Dan in 2020 after learning he’d sent Love Island’s Gabby Allen a flirty message, which she didn’t respond to.

On top of this, the pair had a series of rows in lockdown that piled further pressure on the relationship.

read more on Jacqueline Jossa

WORKING IT OUT

Jac Jossa spotted without wedding ring after denying marriage troubles

JAC’S FURY

EastEnders’ Jacqueline Jossa and Dan Osborne ‘shocked & upset’ over split claims

Jac quietly took out a six-month lease on a new property and moved out of the family home.

A source said at the time that Dan “begged for one final chance” and Jac wanted to fight for the marriage for the sake of their kids.

Gabby wanted no part in the drama and previously told us: “I mean me and Dan were just mates, but we weren’t that good mates to like warrant continuing a friendship.”

At the time, Gabby’s ex-boyfriend Marcel Somerville accused her of cheating with Dan during the trip to Marbella, a claim both parties strongly denied.

CBB STAR THREEWAY

In December 2019, model Chloe Ayling claimed she had a threesome with Dan and US reality star Natalie Nunn after a boozy night out.

Chloe said: “He had full sex with Natalie in front of me in the bathroom, and then kissed and performed a sex act on me.”

Dan never directly addressed the claims but posted cryptic messages on social media at the time.

He also liked a tweet branding Chloe Ayling a “s**g”, making it clear he wasn’t happy about the claims.

Around the same time, Jacqueline became the first winner in I’m A Celebrity history to cancel live TV interviews due to the allegations.

Despite previous champions appearing on daytime shows the next day, Jacqueline is said to have refused to go on any and said she wanted to spend time with her children instead.

A source told The Mirror: “She has to film for the ‘coming out’ show which airs later this week, so cancelled all other TV offers like GMB and Lorraine to spend more time with the family.

“Jacqueline and Dan spent time together in the hotel and probably had a lot to talk about.”

LOVE ISLAND LINK

Dan Osborne and Jacqueline Jossa: A Relationship Timeline

2013 – The Beginning
Dan and Jacqueline’s love story began in 2013 when they started dating. Dan was known from The Only Way Is Essex, while Jacqueline was starring as Lauren Branning on EastEnders.

February 2015 – Welcoming Baby Ella
The couple welcomed their first child, Ella, in early 2015, strengthening their bond.

June 2015 – Engagement News
Dan proposed during a family holiday in Greece, and Jacqueline said yes!

June 2017 – The Big Day
The pair tied the knot in a beautiful wedding surrounded by family and friends.

2018 – Marriage Troubles
Rumors of trouble began surfacing, and Dan briefly moved out of their family home.

December 2018 – Baby Mia Arrives
The arrival of their second daughter, Mia, brought the family closer again, though challenges persisted.

2019 – Public Challenges
The couple continued to face difficulties, with Dan being linked to infidelity rumors, though both parties remained relatively tight-lipped.

2020 – Jacqueline’s Jungle Confession
After winning I’m a Celebrity, Jacqueline addressed the ups and downs in their marriage, admitting they were working on things behind closed doors.

2021 – Separation Speculation
Reports of time apart and ongoing issues fuelled speculation, though neither confirmed an official split at the time.

2025 – Uncertain Future
Dan and Jacqueline’s relationship remains a topic of fan theories, with Jacqueline seen without her wedding ring in January.

Dan denied cheating with another Love Island star in 2019, Alexandra Cane.

Onlookers told The Sun how the dad-of-three made a move on the reality star in the middle of Manchester’s Neighbourhood bar.

One eyewitness said: “Dan was all over Alexandra. At one point he grabbed her and kissed her.”

Another onlooker added: “He was putting his hands all on her – grinding against her and thrusting his hips.

“He’s a married man so it was pretty shocking. She didn’t seem that into it but she laughed it off.

“Everyone was talking about how he was acting. There were loads of women there but he was only interested in Alexandra.

“They left together in a taxi with a couple of friends when the party was over.”

Dan denied he did anything but dance with Alexandra and insisted they had been mates for a while, despite him only following her on Instagram the morning after.

The couple got back on track and planned to renew their vows after Jac’s I’m A Celeb victory.

She said: “The thought of it cringes me out slightly but we might do something like renew our vows when the time is right.

“We would like all five of us in the photos – we’d do it for the kids.

“It does feel like we have a new relationship though, so it might be quite nice to celebrate that.”

However, they never appeared to follow through with the plan.

MONEY WOE

Dan appeared on Towie for two years until 2015 and then came third on the 2018 series of Celebrity Big Brother for which he was paid £60,000.

But the money didn’t last long and in 2019 his personal business had just £978 left on the books and his firm Storms Entertainment was £7,469 in debt.

Another company he owned called Charlie Entertainments was dissolved in 2017.

It went bust with undisclosed debts after HMRC petitioned the high court to put it into liquidation.

Despite this, Dan’s fortunes turned around and he was able to accumulate enough to secretly buy a £1.3m property close to the family home in 2024.

The Mail reported that Dan made the purchase as “security” amid the deteriorating marriage, and it did nothing to help things with Jac who reportedly felt “betrayed” by the decision.

BURGLARY NIGHTMARE

The couple were left shaken in 2024 when thieves targeted their villa in Marbella during a family holiday.

Jac woke in the night to see two men in balaclavas with torches in the property.

She startled them and they made off with £20,000 of cash and jewellery.

The couple’s daughters, Ella and Mia were in the villa, too, as was Dan’s son, Teddy.

BBC Sport NI’s Andy Gray

There’s no way of sugar coating it – losing Dan Ballard is a massive blow to Northern Ireland’s hopes of reaching a first World Cup in 40 years.

The Sunderland defender has been integral to the progress of Michael O’Neill’s young side and he has an impact in both boxes.

While he has always been a physical presence, his composure on the ball has also improved from playing Premier League football this season.

Excluding Kieran Morrison, who has only played in the cup competitions for Liverpool, losing two of his four Premier League players is awful luck for O’Neill, after Conor Bradley was sidelined with a knee injury in January.

Thankfully for NI, Ruairi McConville, who was also an injury doubt when the squad was announced, has played two sets of 90 minutes for Norwich City in the past week.

He will be an option for stepping in for Ballard and has impressed in his short international career to date, as will Oxford United’s Ciaron Brown and Bolton’s Eoin Toal.