5 Reasons We Love Harry and Sandra Redknapp

For anyone who has been addicted to I’m A Celebrity for the last few weeks, it will come as no surprise that Harry Redknapp has captured the heart of the whole nation. The football manager was crowned “King of the Jungle” on Sunday, ahead of John Barrowman and Emily Attack. He was unashamedly himself in the jungle, from his funny quips, hatred of the weird food on offer to talking to the rats and crocodiles during his trials. But what captured us all so much was the way he talks about his wife of 54 years Sandra, making us fall in love with their relationship too! Here are 6 reasons that made us love the couple!

A Good Old Fashioned Romance

We all can’t help but love a good old-fashioned romance. Harry and Sandra met when he was just 17 at The Two Puddings Pub in Stratford. He asked her to dance and then he said: “that was it”.  Harry described their courtship as “very old-fashioned” including their first holiday away before they were married. They went with her twin sister and Harry’s teammate Frank Lampard who were also coincidently dating and went on to marry:

“We went with Sandra, her sister Pat and their friend Joy and we stayed in an old guest house, cheap as chips. The girls stayed downstairs and the boys stayed upstairs. In them days, we were old school. But we didn’t know what to do!”

Harry and Sandra were married 4 years after meeting, back in 1969 and have been together ever since.

How Much They Missed Each Other

Whilst in the jungle, Harry was repeatedly telling everyone how much he missed his wife. He talked about her constantly, telling tales of their life together. Sandra herself said that its the longest they had been apart and they usually speak on the phone every day! Even during his football career when he was at away games, he would always drive home that night when he could to be with her rather than stay in a hotel overnight. Their reunion in the jungle after weeks apart melted our hearts!

Their Devotion to Each Other

There’s no doubt that, having been together 54 years, these two are completely devoted to each other. In 2008, Harry turned down a big management job because it meant he would have to be away from Sandra. On I’m A Celebrity when all the campmates were showing in the lake, he turned away from the girls washing in their bikini’s saying that “the only person I want to see in a bikini is my wife”.

He also told everyone how scared he was that she would die first, saying he would be completely lost without her.

Forgiving Each Other’s Mistakes

Ok, so this one is mainly Sandra! We’ve heard many stories of Harry’s clumsiness when he was in the jungle, including the time he jet washed her flower bed only to accidentally chop all the heads off. But one of the biggest incidents was when he accidentally ran over her ankle, but he said that she never blamed him or called him an idiot for doing it. That is a very patient and forgiving woman!

“It was the worst experience of my life but she honestly never even blamed me — and it was completely my fault. I wasn’t concentrating, I thought she’d crossed the road and then I pulled into the road and she was backed up against my car. She never said to me, ‘You should have watched what you were doing’ or made me feel bad. Even when she was laying with a broken ankle in the road she was just unbelievable, she didn’t scream.”

They Have a Great Friendship

You can’t be married for over 50 years without being each other’s best friends and Harry said she’s the only person he wants to be around and that they just have fun together. If that isn’t a perfect relationship, we dont know what is!

“I’m not really bothered about friends. I’ve got my family. But most of all, I’ve got Sandra and that’s all that matters.”