Exhausted Chantelle Houghton shows the strain of split from Alex Reid... as he brands her 'irrational'

By Sarah Bull


•Chantelle 'doesn't really care' about her flabby stomach and size 14 figure
•In his only interview since his arrest, Alex claims Chantelle was being 'irrational' by calling the police
•Cagefighter added Chantelle tried to cuddle up to him night after his arrest

The end of a relationship is always difficult to cope with.

But Chantelle Houghton's split from Alex Reid was made all the more tough by the fact that the pair are parents to three-month-old daughter Dolly together.

And Chantelle showed the strain of the split as she was photographed out with her mother and baby daughter near her home in Essex on Monday.


Showing the strain: Chantelle Houghton appeared to be exhausted as she was pictured out near her Essex home on Monday

Struggling to cope: Chantelle hung her head in her hands, and certainly appeared to be finding things difficult following her split from Alex Reid

The 29-year-old former reality star looked exhausted and hung her head in her hands as she attempted to put on a brave face for the sake of little Dolly.

But Chantelle admitted in her new! magazine column that in reality she is struggling to cope, and has lost the will to care about her figure as she has been living off fast food meals.

She said: 'People have said I'm looking slim but I don't know why because I'm living on takeaways. I love Nando's, Indian, Chinese food and pizza - I just don't have time to make dinners from scratch.

'I was a size 10 before I got pregnant and now I'm a 14. My belly's really flabby but I really don't care right now.'

Keeping her head down: Chantelle dumped Alex on Twitter earlier this month after he was arrested following his kicking down of the door at the property the pair own together in Brentwood

Chantelle's admission came as she was pictured picking up lunch from a nearby McDonald's drive-through.

The former Celebrity Big Brother star announced on Twitter earlier this month that she had ended her relationship with cagefighter Alex, after she was forced to call the police on him when he allegedly kicked down the door to their house in the early hours of the morning.

Alex was later released without charge.

However, in a new interview with Now magazine, Alex has put his side of the story across, insisting that he was left 'flabbergasted' by Chantelle's decision to call the police.

Alex told the publication that it was his decision to go and see his father, who was beaten up two weeks ago, which first sparked the argument between himself and Chantelle.


Tired: Chantelle was spotted shopping for toiletries with her mother and daughter near her home

'Living on fast food': Chantelle was spotted picking up a quick fast food lunch from McDonald's after writing in her magazine column that she has been surviving solely on takeaways over the past few weeks

He added that Chantelle texted him the next day to tell him not to come home after attempting to persuade him not to leave to see his father.

Alex said: 'I texted Chantelle two hours beforehand to tell her I was coming home. I rang the doorbell and knocked for five minutes. I called her, she didn't answer. So I sent her a text message saying, "I will knock the door down".'

Alex added that he was desperate to get into the house because he knew the pair's daughter Dolly was ill and had a doctor's appointment the following day.

BUt when Chantelle still failed to let him into the property, Alex said: 'Out of sheer frustration I booted the door. It just came off.'


Mummy and daughter time: Chantelle toted baby Dolly as the pair headed out

Supportive family: Chantelle was given a hand by her mother as the group headed out in Essex

When Alex made his way into the house, it was then that Chantelle opted to call the police.

Alex continued: 'I got a knock on my door. Chantelle was upstairs with Dolly and I purposely stayed downstairs. All of a sudden there were two policemen standing there. Then six more turned up and told me they were going to arrest me.'

He told the magazine that Chantelle then wanted to take back her decision, adding: 'Chantelle was crying and telling them not to arrest me. She's irrational. But it was too late.

'I was in shock and really upset. I just felt so betrayed by her - I didn't do anything wrong, it's totally crazy.'

After the arrest, Alex said Chantelle wanted to get back to normality - and even attempted to cuddle up to him when he returned to their house the night after spending the evening in jail.

Happier times: The pair were engaged to marry before their sudden split

He said: 'We slept in the same bed. She wanted to hug me, but I wouldn't let her. The next night I melted a little bit and let her.'

And despite the pair's differences, Alex insists he still wants to make it work with Chantelle.

In a direct message to his former fiancée, Alex said: 'I love you, I love Dolly. I want to sort this out. But it takes two, I can't do it by myself. You have to take equal responsibility.

'We need help. You can't keep blaming me for everything. Please wake up and get real.'

Following Alex's allegations about the series of events, a spokesperson for Chantelle told Now magazine that the sportsman is 'more interested in selling his story than taking responsibility for his own actions and his daughter.'


Back in the ring: Alex was pictured on Tuesday announcing his return to MMA cage fighting


source:dailymail