JAMES Cracknell’s soon-to-be ex-wife has today slammed the rower saying his 'follow your dreams' advice is "b******s" because he puts his "self-centred pursuits" before his family.

The 46-year-old became the oldest winner in the 190-year history of the boat race when he helped Cambridge beat Oxford yesterday.

But his ex, Beverley Turner – the mother of his three children – was quick to take a dig at the double Olympic hero.

Writing in today’s Times, she said: “James has spoken publicly about this latest feat, demonstrating to his children you can do anything you set your mind to.

“He won't mind me admitting that I consider that to be b******s – I wouldn't want my children to view such an exit from familial responsibilities as something to aspire to.”

Cracknell’s remarkable achievement, later described by his wife as being “nothing short of super-bloody-human”, was even more impressive given nine years ago he was almost killed in a horror bike crash.

BRAIN INJURY

In 2010, he was knocked off his bike by a lorry travelling at 60mph when he was cycling in Arizona and suffered a brain injury left him with epilepsy, a changed personality and short temper.

Miss Turner, 45, described it as being her “worst nightmare” when she received a call at 6am to say James had been “helicoptered” to the hospital.

But it was this incident which put their relationship under immense strain, with the doctor telling her he would be living on “Planet James for a while”.

She said the three years after the crash were the “worst” and added that she was married to two different men, one for eight years before the crash and one for the eight years after the incident.

And it seems his changing personality following the crash and his constant drive and determination to achieve success became too much for his wife.

He won't mind me admitting that I consider that to be b******s – I wouldn't want my children to view such an exit from familial responsibilities as something to aspire to.

So much so that last month the couple announced that they had separated after 17 years of marriage.

She added: “The difference in 2018 was whether I could reasonably live with these exhausting, self-centred pursuits for the rest of my life.

“James is all about the target: sod the picnic, where are we going next and how quickly can we get there.”

TV presenter Miss Turner has now revealed for the first time how the rower’s changed personality affected her.
She added: “A formerly quiet man, he couldn’t stop talking, but certainly stopped listening. I had my silent screams in the shower so the children wouldn’t hear."

I'VE MISSED HIM FOR EIGHT YEARS

James returned to Cambridge to study an MPhil in human evolution and moved away from home to train.

She said: "When I told a friend that James was off to Cambridge, he said 'you never know, you might miss him'. Without blinking, I replied, 'but I’ve missed him for eight years'."

However, she was quick to praise her husband’s achievement in a tweet on Sunday afternoon.

She said: “Fantastic achievement from @jamescracknell and @CUBCsquad congratulations on hard won victory.

“Having been quiet for the last few weeks, I’ve written ONE piece which you can read in tomorrow’s @thetimes.

“Behind every great man an’ all that…”

MOST READ IN NEWS

Following yesterday’s victory, Cracknell said he wanted to focus on his three kids, Croyde, 15, Kiki, 10, and eight-year-old Trixie.

He said: “'I'll be celebrating now with these guys and then I've got three more important people in my life that I want to make sure I'm there for.”

The rowing star won gold at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney and Athens four years later.

The Sun Online has contacted Cracknell’s representatives for comment.

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