FHM August 1999
Jamie's Songbird May Have Been out of the Limelight, but Rest Assured - She's As Lovely As Ever!
Royal weddings, helpless baby animals and the tragic TV movie 'Who Will Love
My Children?' are all sure to squeeze a tear from the eye of a lady. But it
is the joyous news of her second placing in FHM's 100 sexiest women poll that
has moistened Louise's peepers over lunch in the Liverpool bistro. 'What? No
way! I can't believe it,' gasps the honey locked beauty, who married Liverpool
and England midfielder Jamie Redknapp in the Caribbean last summer. "I'm
shocked that I'm even in it, because I haven't been in the public eye lately."
Although Louise has been busy working on her third album, the news that she
obviously hasn't been forgotten is a huge relief to the 24 year old, who had
been nervous about taking such a long break. "One part of me just wanted
to give people a rest from seeing my face splattered everywhere - but then I
worried I'd left it too long and that people would think I'm a has-been now
I'm married! Its so nice to be voted for by FHM readers like this. Ha! I'm really
chuffed"
Are the wives of the other Liverpool footballers jealous
of your fame?
I don't understand the popular image of a footballer's wife. They're not all
Versacied-up bimbos, they;re just normal. I go shopping a lot with Claire Ince,
but I don't really involve myself in the football. Jamie just gets on with it.
Posh Spice is said to have asked David Beckham if he
had to keep playing now they didn't need the money. Would Jamie quit if you
asked?
Ha! Well, I would never ask him to stop, in the same way that he'd never
ask me to give up what I do. But no, he'd never stop playing football.
How much say would you have if Liverpool were to sell
him to Milan?
I wouldn't try to stop him going. I work in London anyway,
so flying back and forth to Milan wouldn't be that different to travelling up
and down to Liverpool. He knows I'm not going to be waiting with his dinner
ready when he gets home!
You mean you don't cook for Jamie at all?
I do when I'm home, but I'm never going to be like my mum who goes shopping
and plans what she's going to cook every night of the week.
What about laundry - do you wash his filthy socks?
No! We have a woman who comes round and does that for us. She keeps the
flat in order.
Aren't you afraid she'll spill the beans about your sordid
secrets in the papers?
No, she's 100 per cent trustworthy. We don't have any sordid secrets,
anyway.
Is it true that Jamie's mum wants you to give up singing
and become a dutiful housewife?
Not at all. I'm really lucky with my in-laws - they're always on my side. If
I get the hump with Jamie, they'll blame him. But they're dead proud of us.
We stay with them a lot.
Old Harry Redknapp's not quite the looker that his son
is - do you thank the Lord that Jamie didn't drink from the ugly chalice?
You can't say that! I think Harry's lovely. I'd be more than happy with him.
Do Jamie and his old man make you be the goalie when
they have a kickabout in the back yard?
No, but Jamie makes me be the goalie in the flat when we're playing with his
rolled-up socks. Or sometimes he just throws them at me and goes, 'Header! But
I'm rubbish - I'll stick to singing.
Does Jamie make you sit down and watch Match of the
Day if he scored earlier?
He does watch it if it comes on, although I don't think he's that bothered to
be honest.
But surely there must be times when there's a match on
and the lads come round with a crate of Kestrel?
Believe it or not, it's never really like that. The boys only really get together
to play golf. They play a lot of golf.
Julia Roberts shocked the entire nation when she arrived
at the Notting Hill premiere with hairy armpits. Where do you stand on women
and fuzz?
I'm sorry but I'm not having it. Julia Roberts should have shaved them. I'm
strictly a bald girl.
What - even downstairs?
No! Although I'll always do my bikini line.
Your dad's a builder. Does he have a builder's bum -
perhaps the male equivalent of hairy pits?
Well, he sort of does, if I'm honest. But it's not a horrible thing.
How many of the lyrics for your new album are you writing
yourself?
A lot more than ever before. I'm older now and I feel more confident about taking
what I've written to the people I'm working with. It's all about confidence.
I used to write lyrics, then be too embarrassed to show anyone.
Give us an example...
Oh, I don't know. Something like: 'My feelings for you, are oh so true.' Those
are the things that make good songs, that's what flows.
How does it feel to be the only famous person ever to
come out of Lewisham, apart from the air-rage gypsies?
Well, at least the gypsies put Lewisham on the map. Actually my granddad's quite
famous in Lewisham. He runs a fruit 'n' veg stall there.
Really? Ever had to mind the stall while he nipped off
for a cheeky half?
When I was young I used to spend whole days in summer sitting beside that stall.
I can't remember what I used to be thinking about. Tea and doughnuts, most probably.
Finally, ever had occasion to say they words, "I'd leave it a few minutes
before going in there"?
What? I'm not answering that. Just you drink your lemon tea, mate. [Too right!
- Webmaster]