From her days as a member of the girl group Eternal to her successful solo career and her high-profile divorce from Jamie Redknapp, singer Louise Redknapp is no stranger to being in the public eye.
However, the 48-year-old decided to take a 17-year break from her career when she became a parent to her two sons, Charlie, now 18, and Beau, 14.
WATCH: A look back at Louise Redknapp and her ex-husband Jamie's love story
Speaking with close friend Kate Thornton on the podcast White Wine Question Time, the mum-of-two opened up about her career as she quickly dismissed the idea of wanting to be "famous" again.
"Let's make one thing very clear, I wanted to go to work, not to be famous," she divulged. "Sometimes I read comments and it's like, 'Oh, she wants to be famous again', [but] I never wanted to be famous again.
"That was the last thing on my mind. I wanted to work because it defines a huge part of who I am." She added: "I love what I do and also I needed that purpose and I needed to go and earn a living too."
When her sons grew up, Louise took part in Strictly Come Dancing back in 2016, and became a runner-up alongside Kevin Clifton. She previously hinted the stint led to the breakdown of her marriage to Jamie. Their 20-year marriage unravelled shortly after her appearance on the hit BBC show.
© Photo: Getty ImagesLouise has opened up about her career
On deciding to do Strictly, Louise said: "I loved being a mum to the boys and being at home. When I went off to do Strictly, I wasn't doing Strictly with the idea of working again – that was not the plan.
"I just thought, 'This is going to be really good for me. I'm going to get fit, and just give myself a little something to do' - a little bit of a project."
Light-heartedly, she continued: "Everyone that knows me well knows that I love a challenge. And when I mean business, I mean business."
© Photo: Getty ImagesThe singer was married to former footballer Jamie Redknapp
Since Strictly, Louise has starred in West End musicals such as Cabaret and 9 To 5, and is now about to launch a Greatest Hits album with a one-off gig.
Talking about the adrenaline rush she gets every time she is on stage, Louise remarked: "It's just really what makes me happy. You can't just get rid of those kind of adrenaline rushes especially when you love music and you love doing what you do."
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