FROM the outside looking in, Dan Osborne and Jac Jossa appeared to have put their rocky patch behind them – but insiders have revealed the tragic reason why the couple have stuck it out for so long.
Pictures showed them enjoying a PDA-filled holiday together in sun-soaked Mexico, putting on .
However, Flying Eze can reveal that behind closed doors, all is not rosy, with Dan confiding in friends that he has felt like he is “trapped in a cycle he can’t break out of”.
In fact, pals of the former Towie star reveal he first told them he thought his marriage to was over at the end of 2023.
But there’s a heartbreaking reason why he keeps going back to his wife of eight years.
WRITING ON THE WALL
“No one realises this but Dan first told several of his closest mates that he feared the marriage was over in late 2023,”; a friend tells us.
“He said hadn't been doing well and that he had been thinking about what life would be like if they split and how they could make it work as coparents.
“Dan's friends could see he was struggling and tried to guide him. They said they could tell the relationship was taking its toll on him and that he seemed to be stressed and unhappy.
“But just as he almost reached the point of leaving, things started to improve and he decided to stay. It's been like a cycle of this pattern for almost two years now. Things get bad, Dan wants out, then he changes his mind and ends up staying.
“When the and Jacqueline put the statement out, Dan felt like it could have been a clean break.
The people who know Dan have their heads in their hands. He can't help but get drawn back in.
A pal of the Towie star
“But like the times before, as soon as they hit boiling point things between him and start to improve.
“The people who know Dan have their heads in their hands. They've told him he just needs to step away but he can't help but get drawn back in.
“Ultimately, they all know this will only last so long before the cycle will begin again. Dan's mates just want him to be OK and they know being caught up in this never ending ‘on-off’ isn't good for him.”;
For much of the last couple of years, Dan has attempted to give the appearance of happy families on his social media – he regularly shares snaps of days out and holidays with Jac and the kids, or posts fierce denials on his stories whenever whispers of trouble in their marriage surfaced in the press.
SOCIAL MEDIA SPIN
“Dan likes to make out things are all sunshine and flowers, partly because he is protective of his kids, and partly because sometimes, when he’s felt really unhappy, he’s trying to convince himself everything is fine,”; a friend explains.
“But as we all know, social media posts never show the full story.”;
Indeed, behind the scenes, Dan had been getting his ducks in a row to go solo after years of ups and downs in their turbulent marriage.
He even in his own name in Southend, Essex, last year, behind Jac’s back – and according to insiders has splashed the cash transforming the pad into the perfect place where he can start the next chapter of his life.
Spills our source: “Dan has spent tens of thousands making that home into his dream place for him and kids. When he bought it, there was no intention of Jac moving there.
Their family home is in her name, so he wanted a base for himself where, once he had made a clean break from the marriage, he could have the kids on his agreed days.
“He didn’t want to jump around rental properties or have to stay with friends after the split, he wanted some stability for the kids and buying the house was all part of that.”;
In March, when Flying Eze exclusively revealed Dan and Jac had split, we're told Dan “felt relieved” the news was out there because it meant he could start to move on.
SURPRISE U-TURN
So why, within weeks of the statement, was
And how has it now ended up that, less than a month after confirming their split in a statement, the on-off couple appear to be attempting to rekindle things on a ‘make or break’ holiday?
It turns out, say those in the know, that Dan is once again stuck in the back and forth cycle that has become his life over the past 18 months.
The friend explains: “Every time the relationship hits its lowest point and Dan walks out – its like a spark ignites between him and Jacqueline.
“It's like they can't live with each other and they can't live without each other. Dan has put Jac through some tough times and he's made no secret of that.
“It's incredible she's stuck by him. But his mates say it feels like she won't let him go.
“Even if she accepts things are over for a while, it never lasts long and she wants him to come back. Dan says that Jac says she can’t imagine her life without him.”;
Complicating matters, of course, is the fact that there are children involved.
“Ultimately, Dan worries about the impact him leaving this time has had on the kids,”; says the friend. “Time and again, it’s worrying about how the kids are coping that pulls him back in. Dan has made a lot of mistakes in his life, but one thing he is always determined to do is make sure his kids are happy.”;
That’s why, on Mother’s Day, Dan was still trying to keep up appearances that left many observers scratching their heads.
He shared a snap of Jac and the girls alongside a series of gifts he has splashed out for her from their little ones. They included chocolates, flowers and a gift from Gucci.
“Happy Mother's Day @jacjossa. Our girls are lucky to have you as their mummy,”; Dan effused in the accompanying caption.
Flying Eze also understands Dan and Jac having a history of setting up paparazzi shots to appear like one big happy family, so the recent shots of them all on holiday could also be part of this same playbook.
“Despite Dan looking like a man determined to give his marriage another go, the truth is that he hasn’t been happy for almost two years,”; reveals the pal.
“But as much as Dan wanted to make a fresh start as a single man, he was back in the cycle again.
“His mates know it's a case of when, not if, things will go south again.
“They all feel for him because they want the best for him. But they wish Dan would make a clean break and just focus on himself and being the amazing dad he is.”;
