Louise Redknapp: I embarrass my boys by singing in the car

"But, you know what, when I shut the door at the end of the day, it's just my family. We are just regular people and it's not about our careers.

"I see my husband as my husband, not Jamie Redknapp as everyone else sees him. He is just my husband and my best friend.

"I have my kids and I get up every morning to get them ready so I don't see my family how everyone else sees it."

From pop star to make-up mogul via TV presenter, there's not much Louise hasn't done in the world of showbiz, all the while being a wife to former England footballer and Sky Sports pundit Jamie, daughter-in-law to his famous football manager father Harry and mum to boys Charley, eight, and Beau, four. Oh, and England star Frank Lampard is Jamie's cousin.

And while she's moved on from her days with nineties girl band Eternal, music still plays a huge part in her life.

"Music is still very much a passion," the 38-year-old tells the Star. "As much as my house is a football house, it's a music house too.

"Music was my life for so long, all I wanted to do was sing and dance, and that doesn't just stop.

"My boys love music too, they're loving Rudimental at the moment. They get dead embarrassed though if I'm singing in the car, they're like 'Muuuum, stop it!'. But they do love their music, they're like their mum – they like anything with a bassline."

Following her Eternal days, Louise went on to have a successful solo career that saw her sell more than four million records and embark on a sell-out tour. Her biggest hits included 2Faced, Arms Around the World, a cover of Stuck in the Middle with You and Naked. Remember that video, boys? Thought so.

But would she ever return to the music biz? After all, hot on the heels on ITV's The Big Reunion, which saw the likes of 5ive, Atomic Kitten and Honeyz reform, rumours of an Eternal reunion are never too far away.

"I had a great time singing with the girls but I wouldn't feel comfortable getting back together with them just for a TV show, so that would be a no," she says. "But if it was about the music and the song was right then never say never.

"As for my solo career, well, again, never say never but the music industry has changed so much I think if I came out with an album at my age, it wouldn't be that well received.

"Maybe just a one-off though, just dip my toe back in the water with a guest appearance. That would be great. I love all the DJs out there at the moment so a track with someone like David Guetta would be fantastic."

Louise is talking to us as she's just added another household name to her long list of endorsements. She is the new face of Gallo Family Vineyards Summer White.

"Summer for me is a really social time and we love having everyone over," she explains. "We had a barbecue for the Wimbledon final with 22 people and that pretty much sums up summer for me. We love entertaining and having friends and family at home. We feel that we have this perfect house and we should make the most of it.

"Summer's nice because the boys are off school and they're constantly playing in the garden and Jamie hasn't got his football duties – but he still loves his golf, I still lose him for a few days with that.

"But summer is when he can have real quality time with the boys and play with them lots. It can get pretty manic though. The boys broke up last Friday and they're now constantly playing sports in the garden. They love football, obviously, but they're fans of all sports."

So with two boys and two huge careers, how does she find the right balance for her family? After all, what with his football and her work as a performer and then as a co-host of Sunday morning show, Something for the Weekend, the couple can't even remember the last time they had a weekend together.

"We don't have normal weekends, never have done," she says. "Because of our careers we can't clock off at 6pm on a Friday and finish work. When Jamie was playing the game, and now that's he commentating, and me with my music career and then TV there was no such thing as a weekend off because weekends are a really big part of those industries.

"I've always said I've had to plan our lives from May to May to fit in with the football season."

Aside from juggling a bursting family diary, Louise's main focus these days is the beauty world.

She and make-up artist Kim Jacob launched their Wild about Beauty make-up range last year, deciding everything from the packaging and colour palette to where the desks are located in the office. After years in front of the camera and walking the red carpet, Louise knows more than most about cosmetics and how to achieve the perfect look.

"Yeah, that's how the make-up line came about – I'd had so many years in the business, I knew all the secrets and had met this lovely make-up artist behind the camera and we wanted to bring the red carpet to real life."

Her favourite pieces in the range are the Botanical Skin Prep Serum and Golden Skin Glow. But does she have any top tips for us mere mortals?

"Less is more!," she laughs. "People are wearing more make-up than ever before but sometimes I think less is more. Just be confident in yourself. Natural is always better. It's natural to want to make changes and be healthy but I think it's important to be confident in yourself."

From music videos to the covers of lads' mags and now women's magazines, Louise has grown up in front of the camera. But despite this, she says she's never felt overwhelmed by the pressure to look a certain way.

"In my Eternal days I was young and I so wasn't aware of image or fashion and some of those outfits do come back to haunt me. But I was just young and having fun y'know, that was 15 years ago. With the lads' mags, there wasn't that many back then. It was more prestigious then. But I always felt comfortable with what I was doing and I had lines I wouldn't cross. I was aware my family and friends would be seeing this stuff. But I had always had a good time doing that.

"But then, getting older, having a family and enjoying fashion a bit more I moved on. I haven't really felt pressure over my image. In Eternal I felt relaxed, we had lots of fun and I didn't overthink the way I looked. I would just put something on and go out there and sing. I think a little pressure came in the later years as there was just so much out there. So much variety. Sometimes you can get lost in it all and it's confusing."

In a bid to break down and understand some of this pressure, Louise has taken part in a number of TV shows exploring the world of beauty and image.

She starred in The Truth About Size Zero, which documented her efforts to shrink down to that most fabled of dress sizes.

"It's hard to maintain and it doesn't make you feel any better, your jeans just look a bit better," she says matter-of-factly. "I say, be confident and healthy but you only get one life, relax and enjoy it. Eat what you want, drink what you want. I like a wine, I like a drink. That's why I'm helping to promote Gallo Family Vineyards Summer White, it suits my taste and lifestyle."

She's also working on Channel 4's How Not To Get Old with Anna Richardson. The show investigates how and why we age as we do and profiles the best and worst surgical and natural procedures.

"I look at the natural ways and my role is about trying and testing different things to maintain a youthful feel and look outside the plastic surgery route," she says.

"Anna tries all that other stuff and every time I see hear I'm like 'Oh, tell me what you've had done'. She's a great TV presenter and is really honest about the treatments, regardless of how much they cost

"I don't think plastic surgery is for me. I'll never say never to something and I haven't overruled surgery but I'm more interested in these other options. And if they can make you feel better, than why not go for it?"

And with that she has to leave, off to her next business meeting about the make-up line.

"Things are brilliantly busy at the moment," she says. "But in a few hours I'll be back to being mum and watching the boys run around the garden. All very normal. But that's how I like it."

* Louise Redknapp is launching Gallo Family Vineyards Summer White, packed with sumptuous flavours of ripe apple, pear and citrus with subtle floral notes.Visit www.gallofamily.co.uk/summerwhite for further information, RRP £6.99

By Elizabeth Joyce