The affair that rocked racing – Emma Spencer opens up on ex-husband Jamie’s betrayal and how they became friends again
IT was the affair that rocked racing – and now Emma Spencer has opened up on ex-husband Jamie’s betrayal some 13 years after their infamous split.
Dubbed the ‘Posh and Becks’ of the horse racing world, former Channel 4 racing host Emma and top jockey Jamie were the ‘it’ couple of the sport of kings.
Famed for delivering horses late with a sudden burst of speed, Jamie was the star on the track while Emma was the punters’ favourite face in front of camera.
The pair married in 2005 and had three children.
But their world came crashing down not long after when it emerged Jamie had had a fling with fellow rider Hayley Turner.
In one excruciating encounter, Emma was faced with having to interview Hayley after she won a race at Newbury in 2010.
Channel 4 confirmed at the time Emma had refused to interview Hayley, with co-host Mike Cattermole jumping in at the last minute.
Emma and Jamie split in 2010 after five years of marriage.
She says she holds no grudge against Hayley or her ex-husband, and the wounds have healed somewhat with Emma and Jamie remaining close for their kids.
Emma has even returned to working in front of camera, hosting the Racing Post’s What A Shout show.
She says it is the intense nature of her work that enabled her to cope with the heartbreak and devastating split.
Speaking to the Racing Post, she said: “I look back and I have no idea how I managed it.
“Nobody wants to read about a breakdown in their own family life in the news, and there are times I wonder how it didn’t affect me more.
“I suppose I’m just good at carrying on, which you must do in my line of work.
“You have to be ready for what could happen any minute and you learn to block things out.”
Emma, daughter of legendary racing punter Jack Ramsden, shared a £2million Newmarket mansion with Jamie.
The Daily Mail reported it was there Jamie invited Hayley back while Emma was away filming with Channel 4.
Speaking of what happened, Jamie, who rode a record-breaking 80-1 winner at this year’s Royal Ascot meeting, has previously said: “I made a monumental error of judgment and now have to live with it.
“What I did is hard to explain. There’s not a day goes by that I don’t think of the catastrophic consequences of my stupidity. It’s hard, day in, day out.
“I found the one person, but overnight it was all gone.
“Some evenings I think hard about it and can never find the reason why it happened.
“A huge error of judgment cost me all the things I wanted from a young age. A day doesn’t go by without me thinking about it.”
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