Louise Elizabeth Redknapp (née Nurding, born 4 November 1974), professionally known as Louise, is an English singer-songwriter and media personality. She was a member of Eternal, an R&B girl group which rose to fame 1993 with their quadruple-platinum studio album Always & Forever. In 1995 Louise left Eternal to start a solo career.

Redknapp has presented several television shows and was a judge on the UK version of So You Think You Can Dance. She is married to the English former footballer Jamie Redknapp.

In 2016, she got to the final in the fourteenth series of BBC One's dance contest Strictly Come Dancing.

Early life

Louise Elizabeth Nurding was born on 4th November 1974 in Lewisham, London. Her father was a builder and her mother worked at Gatwick Airport. Louise and her two younger brothers grew up in Eltham, London, and Oxted, Surrey.

Music career

Eternal
While out at a nightclub at the age of 16, Louise met the music producer Denis Ingoldsby, who wanted to make an all-girl group. She subsequently introduced Denis to Kéllé Bryan. Kéllé and Louise and sisters Easther and Vernie Bennett, formed the band Eternal in 1992. The group performed R&B music and had a number of hits during the 1990s. Eternal's debut single "Stay" entered the UK charts at number four, and their debut album, Always and Forever became the first album by a female group to achieve over a million sales in the UK. Louise left the group in 1995 to start a solo career, whilst rumours went around saying she was forced to leave because a radio station in the United States that would play R&B would not promote the group.

Solo career with EMI
Louise's debut solo album, Naked, was released in 1996 on the back of the single's success.

In 1997, Louise returned with her second solo album, Woman in Me, peaked at number five in the UK and went on to gain multi-platinum status.

In 2000, Louise released her third studio Elbow Beach, Louise said that the album was her "most personal" album to date.

After Elbow Beach was released, she had one album left on her five-album deal with EMI (including Eternal's Always and Forever). In 2001, the label decided to release a greatest hits compilation called Changing Faces – The Best Of Louise.

Strictly Come Dancing series 14
On 15 August 2016, Redknapp was announced as a contestant for the fourteenth series of Strictly Come Dancing. She reached the 2016 finals with professional dancer Kevin Clifton, but lost out on the title of series champion to BBC sports presenter Ore Oduba.

Personal life
Louise married football player Jamie Redknapp in Bermuda on 29 June 1998. The couple got divorced on December 29, 2017 due to Jamie's "unreasonable behaviour".

Albums

Singles

Other tracks
1995 "Real Love" ("Light of My Life" B-side)
1996 "All of You" ("In Walked Love" B-side)
1996 "Do Me Right" ("Naked" B-side)
1996 "Keep the Lovin' In" ("Naked" B-side)
1996 "How in the World" ("Undivided Love" B-side)
1996 "Better Next Time" ("Undivided Love" B-side)
1997 "Don't Be Shy" ("Arms Around the World" B-side/Woman in Me album track)
1997 "Intimate" ("Arms Around the World" B-side)
1997 "Just When I Thought" ("Let's Go Round Again" B-side)
1997 "How You Make Me Feel" ("Let's Go Round Again" B-side)
1997 "Distraction" (Japanese Woman In Me album bonus track)
1998 "Woman In Me (Live)" ("All That Matters" B-side)
1998 "When Will My Heart Beat Again (Live)" ("All That Matters" B-side)
1998 "If I Can't Have You" (A Tribute To The Bee Gees album track)
2000 "Say Yes" ("2 Faced" B-side)
2000 "Lost" ("2 Faced" B-side/Elbow Beach album track)
2000 "Clear Water" ("Beautiful Inside" B-side)
2000 "Better Back Off" ("Beautiful Inside" B-side)
2003 "Don't Give Up" ("Pandora's Kiss" B-side)

References

 
People from London
1974 births
Living people
Musicians from Kent
British R&B musicians
English pop singers