Frankie Dettori is better known for being the finest Flat jockey of his generation.

Now, the superstar jockey is set to leave both his family and home comforts behind as he heads into the I'm A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! camp as a late arrival.

The Italian man married his wife, Catherine, 49, who is a stay-at-home mum, in July 1997, and the couple are the proud parents of five children: Leo, Ella, Mia, Tallula and Rocco.

Of all of his children, 52 year old Frankie believed his youngest, Rocco, was most likely to ride professionally.

In 2015, Frankie said: “If I had to tip one, it’s him. He has the physique and likes to go flat out."

But during the Covid-19 pandemic, his gym routine led to him bulking up, with Frankie saying: “Rocco, in Covid, he went into the gym and he turned out to be a pretty robust guy, strong and muscly, so unfortunately his career is gone somewhere else.

“He still loves his riding but he is way too big and too strong.”

His second eldest Ella competed in her first ever race as a jockey in July 2021, when she was 19 years old.

She made her debut in the charity Magnolia Cup race at Glorious Goodwood.

The contest ended in a dramatic dead-heat — the judges were unable to split the two leading runners.

After the race, Ella said: "Dad gave me a few tips before the race.

"I hope I made him proud, that was my aim."

In July 2023, Frankie opened up about finally winning a 30-year argument he'd been having with Catherine.

After much debate about where they want to live, the jockey finally got his own way, and revealed they would be moving into a flat in London.

Frankie told the Daily Mail: "It has always been my dream to live in London and my wife always stopped me.

"I always wanted to live in a flat in London with a gym and an underground car park and she wanted animals and land.

"After 30 years I think I have convinced her. I have spent all my life outside and in the countryside. I'd like to do something different."

Until then, they had been living in a stunning Newmarket mansion, which they went on to rent out for £15,000 a month, according to The Sun.

The property features a beautiful outdoor pool and even a 'sulking room', where Frankie says goes to decompress with a glass of wine after the pressures of the sport take their toll.

He said: "If I lose I have a bad day, I go to sulk.

"As I got older I got pushed out of the kitchen. I got pushed out of the sitting room because, back in the day, my wife wanted to watch Strictly [Come Dancing], my daughter wanted to watch Love Island.

"I needed a room with my own TV. I watch racing, I am a big football fan, I watch Arsenal, I relax here with my friends."

Frankie and Catherine bought the original property for £570,000 in 2003. They went on to carry out a "bloody expensive" renovation, which took about 15 years all in and was part-funded by the £2.15million sale of their old 15-acre, six-bedroom house in 2015.

Source: Read Full Article