When Sara McLean arrived at the Cheltenham races with her new beau on Wednesday morning, she was beaming like she had won the Gold Cup.
Perhaps, in her mind, her prize was just as good because she was there on the arm of former England rugby star James Haskell, parading herself as his new girlfriend.
As she smiled for the waiting photographers, it was obvious that Sara, 34, was delighted to be pictured with Haskell, who is Chloe Madeley‘s ex-husband, holding his hand, swishing her brunette mane and showing off her long legs to best advantage in a beige mini skirt and matching jacket.
The snaps of her and Haskell – former son-in-law of television royalty Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan – prompted much WhatsApp action between some of Sara’s former associates, those who knew the former beauty queen and Big Brother finalist when she was starting out on her quest to find fame, and a well-known, wealthy boyfriend.
Those who knew her at the time – around a decade ago – tell me she was a regular on the Mayfair nightclub scene, making sure she was in the right spot on the right night. She would also rock up for restaurant launches where she would rub shoulders with other wannabes in a bid to find her fortune, having moved to London from Scotland.
One former friend of Sara, who partied with her at the celebrity and footballer haunt Chinawhite, told me: ‘I’d bump into her at events. She was always really friendly and fun to be around. She also knew how to work a room, and would talk to as many people as she could if we were at a beauty event or a launch night together.
‘She was very beautiful and knew how to use her looks. She used to get a lot of attention when we were out together.
‘When we first met her, she was always going on about how she wanted to find herself a rich man. As well as London, she’d also be out in Manchester. She was everywhere for a few years.’
Her hard work paid off because she has a long list of famous exes including former US national team goalie Tim Howard, who also played for Everton from 2007 to 2016. Next up was Ben Cohen, the England rugby and Strictly star. She dated him following his split from wife Abby after he took part in Strictly back in 2013, before he moved on to his dance partner Kristina Rihanoff.
Shane Warne, the late Australian cricket star and former partner of Liz Hurley, is also among Sara’s exes. ‘She had a knack for getting herself in front of famous men, and then making them fall for her,’ said the pal. ‘She will be absolutely thrilled to be with James now, turning up on his arm at Cheltenham. Her ambition was always to meet a rich man and have a couple of kids.’
Haskell, 39, who, since retiring from rugby in 2019, has appeared on I’m A Celebrity and works as a DJ, also looked rather thrilled to have Sara as his date. She is the second woman he has been linked with since his split from Chloe, the mother of his two-year-old daughter, Bodhi.
In January, he was spotted having dinner with mother-of-two Helen Barclay, who bore a striking resemblance to his former wife.
He and Chloe had married in 2018 at All Saints’ Church in Berkshire. At the time Chloe said: ‘Our relationship just gets stronger and stronger. James is funny, smart, articulate and always a gentleman. I love everything about him.’
In return, Haskell said: ‘My mum always told me that I should meet a nice girl who wanted to look after me and that’s Chloe. Planning the rest of my life with her is exciting and I couldn’t be happier.’
But their marital bliss lasted just five years – though the timing was awkward as they had already signed a lucrative deal to take part in an ITVBe reality series, Chloe Madeley: A Family Affair.
In December 2024 Chloe said ‘the last year of the marriage was awful’, adding: ‘It was so dark, painful, and one of the worst periods of my life. It’s a good thing we ended it. It was so incredibly scary. I’m amazed I got through it in the way that I did… I’m so proud of myself and so relieved that I actually called it a day.’
It seems that Haskell, who is touring as a guest on the Sue, Matt & Phil Live! The Reunion Tour, alongside former Question Of Sport alumni Sue Barker, Phil Tufnell and Matt Dawson, has put that difficult time behind him.
Those who know him say that he ‘loves female company’ and are ‘not surprised’ that he has moved on. Chloe also previously revealed she knows the former Wasps flanker has been ‘having fun’ seeing other people, but maintained the pair still have a healthy relationship as they co-parent.
‘It’s usually the man who moves on quickest,’ said one source familiar with Haskell. ‘He looks very, very happy with Sara.’
Sara, who grew up in Edinburgh where she attended the £20,000- per-year private school George Watson’s College, became a model in her teenage years and was crowned Miss Edinburgh in 2010. A year later she came second in the Miss Scotland competition.
She beat off tens of thousands of fame-hungry contenders to take part in Big Brother in 2012.
She gave an entertainingly tearful rendition of God Save The Queen before ranting about those who dislike the Royal Family. At one point she threatened to punch model Arron Lowe after he talked about pouring the housemates’ alcohol down a drain.
It was enough to keep her in the house and she finished in fourth place. Celebrity agents recall she approached several of them afterwards to represent her in a bid to make the most of her fame.
She took part in a topless photoshoot, while, in another shot, she posed in a black and white sheer bra and a pair of heels. Today, she is still signed to MOT Models.
Some years later, though, Sara decided to give up her clubbing lifestyle and had a stint out of the limelight after meeting handsome businessman Peter Lloyd in 2018.
The couple went on to get married and have a boy and a girl, thought to be aged five and three.
For several years she told of her idyllic life with Instagram posts such as: ‘Love was made for me and you. You are the best thing that ever happened to me.’
‘Sara just kind of disappeared from the circuit,’ said her former associate. ‘I suppose we were all getting older and people started to settle down but then she started posting pictures of herself and Peter and she clearly had done well for herself. She appeared to have what she had wanted, a wealthy man and a beautiful family.
‘She would gush about how happy she was on social media and seemed like she was really loved up with the perfect family.’
In June last year she stopped posting about Peter. They are believed to have split last summer. Now, she appears to be enjoying the limelight again, although last night sources suggested to The Sun that the relationship with Haskell was already under strain.
‘She seemed so happy but then it all went a bit quiet,’ said the friend. ‘The next thing we see her out with James Haskell and she’s back all over the papers again. It was like going back 13 years.
‘Maybe she is going back to her roots. There’s no doubt we will be seeing a lot more of her.’
