James Haskell, who attended a boys boarding school before marrying Chloe Madeley, has criticised boys boarding schools for fostering sexism.
The 38-year-old former rugby union star, who was forced to deny chatting up a mysterious lady this week, has spoken up about the impact boarding school had on his perception of women, which he believes has altered over time.
He added that following his experience at a same-sex school, he would never send his daughter Bodhi, whom he welcomed last year with wife Chloe, to one.
‘I went to an all-boys prep school, all-boys boarding school, and was with roughly 25 men every year for 19 and a half seasons,’ James stated in an interview with the website Unfiltered.
‘Would you say I was probably the most broad-minded person in that respect? No, I think there’s a reason why sexism is probably as bad as it is because of all-boys boarding schools,’ he added.
The father-of-one continued: ‘Truthfully, I think what other exposures do you have to women other than as sex objects? You may have female teachers and a strong mother, but otherwise how you’re not exposed to them in any other way, shape, or form.
‘So there’s always an objectification. I would never send my daughter to a same-sex school.’
James also stated that he is attempting to ‘unlearn’ views he picked up while attending Wellington College in Berkshire, an all-boys institution. In 2006, the school became entirely co-educational.
‘Life’s about learning and I think where you were before and where you are now is completely different,’ he said. ‘As long as you’re better now than you were yesterday, that’s all that matters.’
When asked if he regrets the school he attended, the I’m A Celebrity contestant said no.
He replied: ‘No, because it gave me the opportunity and because it was a school that perfect played up to someone like me at ADHD who just did everything and it gave me confidence and opportunities and stuff.’
The personality also criticised trying to ‘rewrite history’ by ‘pulling statues down.’
After being asked how he looks back on potential past misdemeanors, the sportsman replied: ‘I don’t.’
‘You don’t consider it at all?’ interviewer Joe Warner pressed.
‘Why? I just don’t care. It doesn’t serve any purpose,’ he said. ‘As long as you learn, don’t treat people badly, then that’s the way forward I think.’
The former Wasps RFC flanker also said that women failed because they were ‘competitive’ with one another.
‘Women would rule the world if they weren’t so competitive with each other,’ he said, ‘they are much more intelligent and much more emotionally in tune.’
This comes after James was spotted outside celebrity hangout Chiltern Firehouse club conversing with a mystery lady who was not his wife – the daughter of TV stars Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan.
‘The woman pictured is a friend of James’s group who he just met that night,’ a source told The Sun. ‘They were simply having a conversation outside so there is nothing to this.’
In other parts of the conversation, although James referred to sexist influencer Andrew Tate as “madness,” he argued that boys are aimless, adrift, and need role models.
‘Men are being told you can’t be men. You can’t be strong, you can’t be chivalrous. You can’t be a rough man. You can’t be physical. I think it’s nonsense. It’s b***ocks. The world was built on men being men,’ he said.
‘Is sexism real? Yes. Is the downfall of society down the the patriarchy? No. Are there lots of things that go unchecked? Yes. Could we be better? Yes.’
Although James admitted men ‘have a lot to answer for,’ he also claimed we’ve ‘gone too far’ the other way and we should ‘accept what’s true.’
‘Women are much more emotional, in tune, kinder, sweeter than men will ever be. It’s not better or worse, it’s just a statement,’ he said, before claiming people are now trying to ‘deny science’ about men being physically more capable.
He also said we are ‘getting ourselves in a mess’ by ‘trying to accommodate everyone’ in society.
This comes after James was accused of ‘disrespecting women’s rugby’ after a controversial social media remark.
The most capped England ‘front-row forwards,’ according to Haskell’s rugby podcast The Good, The Bad, and The Rugby, are Jason Leonard, Dylan Hartley, and Steve Thompson.
Simi Pam, a Bristol Bears semi-professional rugby player, pointed out in the comments that retired England Women’s player Rocky Clark (137 caps) had more than the males listed but was not included in the piece.
She posted: ‘I think you meant to say ‘most England caps – MALE front row forwards’. Please stop disrespecting the women like this. Because the way you’ve named this list, we know Rocky Clark tops it. Please do better @goodbadrugby’.
To that, Haskell responded: ‘Have a day off.’
He then reportedly deleted the comment, and posted: ‘We have done more to champion woman’s [sic] rugby than anyone else. We created a show called good scaz rugby all about the female game.
‘If we were talking on that show we would have said women, female whatever you wanted. By making a fuss over stuff like this you weaken your point and actually set yourselves back. Pick your battles and try to be positive.’
In between the comments, Pam replied: ‘As someone who has been a guest on your spin off show @goodscazrugby, hearing that this is how you respond to being corrected for a mistake is very telling.’
‘I won’t have a day off – why don’t you just do better and stop disrespecting your female fan base and their role models?’
He then released a three-minute video on Instagram in which he stated that they should have named the post’men’s most capped England front-rowers ever’ and that it was a ‘real error’ – but he did not apologise.
The rugby player and DJ added, as per Sky News, in his video: ‘For me to tell a fellow player to “have a day off” was not respectful and made light of a cause they are fighting passionately for.
‘It’s a cause that everybody at Good, Bad Rugby, myself included, is a 100% aligned with. I deleted that comment after a couple of seconds, social media people screenshot stuff.
‘I replied with what I thought was a much more succinct comment that I feel attacking people already on your side – so I feel like we are on the side of women’s rugby.’
In his most recent interview, the rugby union player addressed the spat, admitting that he avoided apologising directly.
He also addressed his controversial past comments, and said: ‘Every time I’ve ever got into trouble is when I’ve shared an opinion on something I wasn’t asked about.’
