Could Zara Tindall help Chloe Madeley through marriage woes? Fitness influencer has turned to Princess Anne’s daughter for advice in the past – and the royal is also close to Mike’s podcast co-host James

Ever since James Haskell was spotted whispering into a blonde women’s ear outside Chiltern Firehouse, the marital woes of the former England rugby star and his wife Chloe Madeley have been the talk of the town.

While the status of their relationship is unclear, salvation for the showbiz couple could lie in an unlikely royal ally, Zara Tindall, who has remained close with both of the pair.

James, 38, was spotted whispering into the ear of blonde beauty Martine Bridge outside the exclusive London club earlier this month.

He later claimed it was just a friendly interaction, but, in the weeks since both James and Chloe have been spotted multiple times without their wedding rings.

James seemed to party the blues away by heading to Paris to watch England in the Rugby World Cup. While Chloe stayed at home with their 14-month old daughter Bodhi.

Alongside James in Paris was his royal pal and long-term family friend Zara, who is perhaps the best placed person to bring the quarrelling couple back together. 

The daughter of Princess Anne has been friends with both Chloe and James for years, with her husband Mike co-hosting a podcast with his former England teammate James.

Both James and Chloe have said they’ve gone to the Tindalls for marriage and parenting advice in the past, with Chloe even revealing Zara pitches in.

Speaking in February, Chloe said her ‘brilliant’ friend Zara had offered to change her daughter’s dirty nappies.  

Chloe told OK! Magazine how Zara, 41, and Mike Tindall, 44, were among the first friends to meet their daughter at their London home shortly after her arrival.

Describing how the Queen’s granddaughter bonded with the little one, Chloe said Zara ‘didn’t let go of [Bodhi] all day.’

She said: ‘She was basically Zara’s baby for the day, which was nice for me, because I could sit down with some of our friends and have a cup of tea and a catch-up.’

During their visit, Chloe said Zara even offered to change Bodhi’s nappy to give the new mother a ‘break’.

What’s more, Chloe also praised Zara’s husband Mike. 

She labelled him an ‘incredible dad’ and said he has been giving James ‘lots of tips’ about parenting and looking after a newborn.

Quoting Mike’s most important piece of advice, Chloe added: ‘Namely, enjoy this period and don’t over-busy yourself, stop and enjoy it, and I appreciate that advice.’

Former rugby players Mike and James co-host their hugely successful podcast The Good, The Bad and The Rugby and two couples have become close friends.

When she was expecting Bodhi, Chloe revealed that mother-of-three Zara had also offered some advice about becoming a parent.

Chloe told OK! magazine: ‘Zara’s given me some really good advice and a sack of muslins.’

‘I asked Zara and many people about bottle and breastfeeding, and they’ve all said, ‘You just won’t know until you try’.’

Meanwhile, James praised Mike and Zara’s ‘brilliant’ parenting and said he’d like their baby to grow up like ‘cheeky tomboy’ Mia.

‘I get on really well with Mia,’ he said. ‘I kind of want our daughter to be like her. Cheeky, a bit of a tomboy and girly when she needs to be. I’ll take any advice from them.’  

And despite her friendship with Chloe, Zara has also stayed close to James amid the rumoured tension.

Zara was with James when he stripped off and swung his shirt above his head during England’s quarter-final game against Fiji.

In another video, James was joined by Zara as he danced and sang along to Neil Diamond’s Sweet Caroline in the stands.

The group were in jubilant spirits after England’s 30-24 victory and Zara could be seen wrapping her arm around James as they celebrated the win.

Meanwhile, his wife Chloe Madeley, 36, spent the weekend at home with their 14-month-old daughter Bodhi as she documented their time with sweet snaps on her own Instagram page.

James has previously shared how Chloe is close with Zara.

‘Me and Mike are very close, and Zara and Chloe are too,’ the star told OK!

‘We’ve never been on a double date. We hang out lots together, but we’ve never double dated.’

Chloe previously admitted she had ‘trust issues’ within their relationship.

The fitness fanatic opened up about the difficulties which she and her husband had endured in 2020, saying the pair went through ‘trust issues and power struggles’ with the goal being to ‘eventually reach an understanding.’

The mother-of-one also noted that without ‘an accepted degree of push-pull’ within a relationship, ‘no couple can go the distance.’ 

The following night, Chloe, who has been married to James since 2018, ditched her wedding ring as she enjoyed a girls’ night out with pals including celebrity make-up artist Lou Teasdale.

Hitting back at any suggestions of flirting or impropriety, James’s spokesman told The Sun : ‘The woman pictured is a friend of James’s group who he just met that night. They were simply having a conversation outside so there is nothing to this.’

MailOnline have contacted James’s representatives for further comment.

Ever since it has seemed business as usual for the couple, who both shared insights into their weekends with their followers on their respective Instagram pages.

As well as his shirtless antics, James also reposted clips as he celebrated with friends at the game by throwing one of them up into the air.

He also shared a snap with a fan, who referenced James’ recent controversy, by writing: ‘And no I’m not any mystery blonde.’

James appeared to be great entertainment in the stands, as he waved and cheered for fans who were loving the performance, with one writing: ‘James Haskell being his shy and retiring self’.

Meanwhile, Chloe filled her feed with adorable snaps of Bodhi, including one where the little girl was wrapped up in a blanket during a lunch outing. She captioned it: ‘Sundays with my [world] [heart]’.

She also posted a video of her daughter enjoying a Disney film in their living room. 

On Friday, Chloe started her night at Treehouse Hotel bar with six friends before moving to Soho House and later heading home just before 3am on Saturday.

She looked sensational as she put on a leggy display in a pair of denim hot pants and a fitted black bodysuit.

She completed her look with some thigh-high heeled boots and carried a black bag with her.

James later posted a message about a ‘lonely life’ after Chloe ditched her wedding ring for her night out.

He took to Instagram on Sunday morning and wrote: ‘Live a lonely life!’ alongside a video from his DJ set while playing a remix of Ace of Base’s song All That She Wants.

The vocal ‘she lives a lonely life’ could be heard on loop.

James and Chloe hit the headlines this week when the first episode of their reality show Chloe Madeley: A Family Affair hit screens.

Last week, Chloe opened up about ‘biggest row ever’ with James as she revealed that the fall-out between the pair was over X-rated snaps of  women.

In a new interview, she explained how she was upset when James was away in Ibiza and took to Instagram where he ‘posted photos of other girls’ a***s’.

The influencer accepted that being surrounded by bikini clad women was part of his career. Now the former rugby player has become a DJ, but didn’t want it splashed over social media. 

The argument features in the new ITVBe reality show. Talking about their fallout, Chloe told The Sun: ‘One of the biggest row we’ve ever had was on camera. It happened when he was in Ibiza and posted photos (on Instagram) of other girls’ a***s. 

‘My argument was, ”I don’t mind that that is your job but I don’t want you putting it on social media when everyone knows I’m your wife”,’ explained Chloe.

Over the summer, Chloe opened up about the challenges in her and James’s relationship after the two became parents in August 2022. 

The star has revealed there were moments when she wondered, ‘are we ever going to come out the other side of this?’ as they battled with sleepless nights and extreme tiredness. 

Discussing her marriage with Bella magazine, Chloe admitted she feels she has managed to save her marriage and the couple are now getting back on track.

‘We’re starting to spend more time together and enjoy it as opposed to getting into a competition about who’s more tired and say, ‘who’s done the bottles?”’

Their daughter Bodhi was born last August and the star has been very open about her motherhood journey. 

The daughter of TV legends Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan confessed that becoming a mother has taught her so much about herself.

She said: ‘I’ve learned that I am a hell of a lot more capable than I thought.’