Harry's Sandbanks Lockdown

Former football manager and ‘King of the Jungle’ Harry Redknapp talks about family life with his wife Sandra during lockdown and his love for Dorset

-  Andy Greeves

‘I feel very fortunate to live where we live and to have the access we have to the beach’

Around the same time that the UK went into coronavirus lockdown, Harry Redknapp was due to be hosting a live television chat show with his son Jamie and comedian Tom Davis as well as fulfilling a 20-venue theatre tour. With both projects currently on hold, the former professional football player and manager has instead just returned from a walk along the beach at Sandbanks with wife Sandra and their dogs Barney and Lulu before sitting down to chat over the phone with Dorset Magazine.

“I feel very fortunate to live where we live and to have the access we have to the beach,” comments the 73-year-old, when questioned on how rules regarding social distancing have affected him. “We’ve got it as good as anyone could have in a terrible situation. I do feel for so many people on the frontline, dealing with this.

“During the lockdown, Sandra and I are generally doing a bit of exercise in the morning and then going for a walk after lunch. The most difficult thing for us has been not seeing our kids and grandkids.” Harry and Sandra’s eldest son Mark and his five kids all live locally. “We were used to seeing them all the time. During lockdown we’ve only seen them from the doorstep, that’s not quite the same.” Harry and Sandra’s youngest son Jamie and his kids live in Surrey. “We’ve been catching up on the phone with them regularly,” he adds.