Coronation Street’s Helen Flanagan admits sad mistake as she swears off men after split
EXCLUSIVE: Helen Flanagan opens up in an exclusive shoot with OK! about her split from Robbie Talbot and what she’s learned from it, the truth about co-parenting with Scott Sinclair – and why her kids will always come first
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She’s an actress, reality star and devoted mother-of-three, but it’s Helen Flanagan’s love life which often dominates the headlines. From her 13-year-long romance with footballer Scott Sinclair, the father of her children, to her much talked about “secret boyfriend” Robbie Talbot, 45, who she was seeing while filming Celebs Go Dating last year, you can guarantee Helen’s relationships will end up under the spotlight, for better or worse.
Now, two months after splitting from Robbie after a year together, Helen is ready to talk about what’s next when it comes to dating. But surprisingly there’s not a lot coming up on the horizon… “I’m done with men for the time being,” she tells us with a smile when we catch up with her the day after our exclusive OK! shoot.
With her gorgeous children Matilda, 10, Delilah, seven, and four-year-old Charlie playing nearby, Helen says after everything that’s happened over the last year, she now wants to focus on her family and career. “I’m concentrating on the kids, work, moving house and being with my friends,” she says. “I’m actually quite sensitive and to be honest, I struggle with dating a bit. I feel like there’s always something with men. So right now I want to be single and keep my peace a little bit, you know?”
We wonder if her break-up with Robbie, a former footballer, in May this year was particularly bad, given this unexpected take. After the pair revealed to OK! last October that they were thinking about marriage and babies, was she hurt by the split just a few months later?
“Not at all,” Helen insists. “Nothing bad happened and there are no hard feelings. Robbie was very sweet and very kind. He was older than me and he cared about me. I’ve had a lot of struggles with relationships, first with the father of my kids, and I then dated an idiot for quite a while after that.
“But Robbie was more mature and emotionally supportive, and he was very, very funny. I had a really nice time with him. And listen, sometimes relationships just don’t work long term. We both knew it was coming before I ended it. But I like to think something good always comes out of these things.”
In this case, that “something good” was some surprising friendships. Helen says she’s still in touch with one of Robbie’s two daughters and is fond of his ex-wife too. “I really loved his daughters, Sophia and Carina, and I keep in contact with Sophia. We’re still friendly. And his ex-wife as well. I got on really well with her,” she tells us. But that does bring up the question of how the split affected Helen’s own children.
Back in October, she gushed about how close both sets of siblings were to each other. “Carina and Delilah were very, very close,” Helen recalls. “They all liked each other and that’s been quite hard. Knowing how the kids were involved like that, I wouldn’t do it again. I wouldn’t introduce my children to anyone again. Not for a very, very, very long time.”
She insists that Robbie was “wonderful” with her kids and she “couldn’t have chosen a lovelier man to be around my children”, but admits they might have rushed into meeting each other’s families. “I have my children 90% of the time, I’m their primary carer,” says Helen. “It was my first relationship with someone who had children before and we got a bit carried away.
“But I’ve learned from that. Matilda likes me to herself. The kids like being back in bed with me. So from now on, I’m keeping my dating life very, very, separate. I don’t want to confuse my children – they’re just too precious.”
Helen’s focus has now shifted from bagging boyfriends to self-love. “There’s work I need to do on myself,” she says. “Breaking up with Robbie hasn’t stopped me believing in love but I always seem to have a boyfriend. I need a break to do some inner work on myself. I want to learn to not need a man. I do struggle with men. So I now need to focus on myself for a bit.”
Given her eagerness to distance herself from men, fans were surprised when Scott, 36, moved back into Helen’s house in June, despite blocking her on social media last year. She’d previously claimed they “don’t like each other”. So what’s going on? Is all forgiven?
“The girls’ birthdays are close together and we both wanted to be around for that, so he stayed at the house for a little while,” Helen explains. “And I think that was really nice for the children, to see their parents be OK with each other. When you break up with someone, emotions are raw. It can take a long time for those emotions to calm down. And sometimes, even now, we don’t get on.
“But on the whole, we can actually be in the same room together. He’s the father of my children; I was with him since I was 19 and I’m always going to have love for him – but it doesn’t mean we want to be together. I don’t have any bad feelings towards Scott, though sometimes he drives me absolutely mad.”
Given Helen does have the children the majority of the time while Scott is playing football, we ask if the sheer weight of that responsibility breeds resentment. “No,” she says quickly.
“Because he’s massively financially provided for our children, both for their future and with the house we live in. Also, I quite like the fact that I’ve got them most of the time. I get quite anxious without them, it would make me feel quite sad if they’re not with me. This Christmas will be sad, as they’re spending it with Scott. I’ve booked myself into panto as a distraction.”
If the media stories are anything to go by, a lucrative panto stint might be just what Helen needs. Rumours have been swirling for months that she is “broke” and that she’s selling the £1m Cheshire home she once lived in with Scott amid financial difficulties. “That’s not why I’m selling,” she insists.
“I’m not in a financial crisis. I’m moving because I really need a fresh start. Scott surprised me with this house and it was always supposed to be our happy family home. And it wasn’t that. I like to be light-hearted and I hate to sound depressing, but there is a sadness in this house.
“It’s been a turbulent three years since we split and I need to start afresh. I want to eventually move to London, but for now we’ll stay close to the kids’ schools. I don’t want to disrupt them. When you’re a mum you’re thinking about the children first and foremost.”
And what of that awkward court appearance? Helen has only recently got back behind the wheel after being banned for six months for speeding in January. At the time she insisted she couldn’t afford a full-time driver to get her kids to school. “That whole situation was really, really humiliating,” she says now.
“I wasn’t even driving the car, it was my ex-boyfriend [Robbie]. People assume because I’m an actress and I was engaged to a footballer that I’m wealthy, I can afford to not have a car. People assumed I could afford to pay a driver to transport my children around!
“All I did was try and explain to the court that I couldn’t afford a full-time driver. That’s expensive for anyone, let alone someone with three kids. I prepared all of this with my solicitor, stupidly thinking it would stay completely private. Unfortunately, they let eight journalists into the courtroom that day, and that’s the story that came out. Had I known that, I never would have said it.”
Though Helen sighs when speaking about it, she seems very calm and accepting of the negative stuff. Even when it comes to trolling, she pays no mind to the mum shamers who slate her for being hungover on a school day, or for going away with her girlfriends without her children. “Women should support women,” she says emphatically.
And on the day we meet, she’s forced to postpone the chat for a few hours when her grandad is taken into hospital, at the same time as her sister is experiencing contractions. “God, it’s all going on,” she says, assuring us her grandad is doing well and apologising profusely for the change in plan.
She’s clearly a lovely, thoughtful, intelligent girl who has played up to her ditzy persona. But behind the façade, she’s a sensitive woman who’s been through –and is currently going through – a lot. “I’ve got ADHD and I think anyone who’s had mental health issues knows it can make you a kinder, softer person,” she says. “You know what it’s like to struggle.
“As I’ve got older, I’ve embraced the fact I’m emotional. I like that I’ve got a big heart. I’m not perfect and I do make mistakes, but I wouldn’t ever change that. I think of it as my superpower.” For now, Helen is looking forward to what she hopes will be a happy, healthy future, especially as she reaches what she calls a “milestone” age this year.
“It’s my birthday in August, I’ll be 35,” she says. “It’s a good age for a fresh start. I want to get more fit. “I’m going to get into Pilates and I’m going to go on some trips this summer with the children. I’ve got a secret acting job at the beginning of next year which will take me through to March. It’s all very exciting.”
As we leave her to get back to her children, Helen stops. “We could always feel a bit more at peace,” she ponders. “But the older you get, the more at peace you feel. I really do believe that.” If that’s the case, the future is surely looking bright for our newly single gal.
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