{"id":311607,"date":"2025-08-02T09:51:18","date_gmt":"2025-08-02T09:51:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/311607\/"},"modified":"2025-08-02T09:51:18","modified_gmt":"2025-08-02T09:51:18","slug":"corries-helen-flanagan-admits-heartbreaking-mistake-as-she-swears-off-men-after-split","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/311607\/","title":{"rendered":"Corrie’s Helen Flanagan admits heartbreaking mistake as she swears off men after split"},"content":{"rendered":"

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<\/p>\n

07:00, 02 Aug 2025Updated 07:08, 02 Aug 2025<\/p>\n

She\u2019s an actress, reality star and devoted mother-of-three, but it\u2019s Helen Flanagan<\/a> \u2019s love life which often dominates the headlines. From her 13-year-long romance with footballer Scott Sinclair<\/a>, the father of her children, to her much talked about \u201csecret boyfriend\u201d Robbie Talbot, 45, who she was seeing while filming Celebs Go Dating last year, you can guarantee Helen\u2019s relationships will end up under the spotlight, for better or worse.<\/p>\n

Now, two months after splitting from Robbie <\/a>after a year together, Helen is ready to talk about what\u2019s next when it comes to dating. But surprisingly there\u2019s not a lot coming up on the horizon\u2026 \u201cI\u2019m done with men for the time being,\u201d she tells us with a smile when we catch up with her the day after an exclusive OK! shoot<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"HelenThe star claims she’s ‘done with me for the time being'(Image: Reach PLC \/ Alex James)<\/p>\n

With her gorgeous children Matilda, 10, Delilah, seven, and four-year-old Charlie playing nearby, Helen says after everything that\u2019s happened over the last year, she now wants to focus on her family and career. \u201cI\u2019m concentrating on the kids, work, moving house and being with my friends,\u201d she says. As she opens up on mum guilt, <\/a>the star says: \u201cI\u2019m actually quite sensitive and to be honest, I struggle with dating a bit. I feel like there\u2019s always something with men. So right now I want to be single and keep my peace a little bit, you know?\u201d<\/p>\n

READ MORE: Coronation Street Sally Ann Matthews axed as Jenny Connor 39 years after debut<\/a>READ MORE: Coronation Street Daniel actor’s real-life romance with co-star leaves fans floored<\/a><\/p>\n

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<\/a>, was she hurt by the split just a few months later?<\/p>\n

\u201cNot at all,\u201d Helen insists. \u201cNothing 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\u2019ve 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.<\/p>\n

“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\u2019t 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"HelenHelen’s focusing on her kids and her friends right now, she tells us(Image: Reach PLC \/ Alex James)<\/p>\n

In this case, that \u201csomething good\u201d was some surprising friendships. Helen says she\u2019s still in touch with one of Robbie\u2019s two daughters and is fond of his ex-wife too. \u201cI really loved his daughters, Sophia and Carina, and I keep in contact with Sophia. We\u2019re still friendly. And his ex-wife as well. I got on really well with her,\u201d she tells us. But that does bring up the question of how the split affected Helen\u2019s own children.<\/p>\n

Back in October, she gushed about how close both sets of siblings were to each other. \u201cCarina and Delilah were very, very close,\u201d Helen recalls. \u201cThey all liked each other and that\u2019s been quite hard. Knowing how the kids were involved like that, I wouldn\u2019t do it again. I wouldn\u2019t introduce my children to anyone again. Not for a very, very, very long time.\u201d<\/p>\n

She insists that Robbie was \u201cwonderful\u201d with her kids and she \u201ccouldn\u2019t have chosen a lovelier man to be around my children\u201d, but admits they might have rushed into meeting each other\u2019s families. \u201cI have my children 90% of the time, I\u2019m their primary carer,\u201d says Helen. \u201cIt was my first relationship with someone who had children before and we got a bit carried away.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I\u2019ve learned from that. Matilda likes me to herself. The kids like being back in bed with me. So from now on, I\u2019m keeping my dating life very, very, separate. I don\u2019t want to confuse my children \u2013 they\u2019re just too precious.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"HelenShe admits there’s ‘a sadness’ to the family home now(Image: Reach PLC \/ Alex James)<\/p>\n

Helen\u2019s focus has now shifted from bagging boyfriends to self-love. \u201cThere\u2019s work I need to do on myself,\u201d she says. \u201cBreaking up with Robbie hasn\u2019t 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

Given her eagerness to distance herself from men, fans were surprised when Scott, 36, moved back into Helen\u2019s house<\/a> in June, despite blocking her on social media last year. She\u2019d previously claimed they \u201cdon\u2019t like each other\u201d. So what\u2019s going on? Is all forgiven?<\/p>\n

\u201cThe girls\u2019 birthdays are close together and we both wanted to be around for that, so he stayed at the house for a little while,\u201d Helen explains. \u201cAnd 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\u2019t get on.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut on the whole, we can actually be in the same room together. He\u2019s the father of my children; I was with him since I was 19 and I\u2019m always going to have love for him \u2013 but it doesn\u2019t mean we want to be together. I don\u2019t have any bad feelings towards Scott, though sometimes he drives me absolutely mad.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"HelenHelen gets ‘quite anxious’ without her brood, she confesses(Image: Reach PLC \/ Alex James)<\/p>\n

Given Helen does have the children the majority of the time<\/a> while Scott is playing football, we ask if the sheer weight of that responsibility breeds resentment. \u201cNo,\u201d she says quickly. \u201cBecause he\u2019s 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\u2019ve got them most of the time. I get quite anxious without them, it would make me feel quite sad if they\u2019re not with me. This Christmas<\/a> will be sad, as they\u2019re spending it with Scott. I\u2019ve booked myself into panto as a distraction.\u201d<\/p>\n

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 \u201cbroke\u201d and that she\u2019s selling the \u00a31m Cheshire home<\/a> she once lived in with Scott amid financial difficulties. \u201cThat\u2019s not why I\u2019m selling,\u201d she insists.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not in a financial crisis. I\u2019m moving because I really need a fresh start. Scott <\/a>surprised me with this house and it was always supposed to be our happy family home. And it wasn\u2019t that. I like to be light-hearted and I hate to sound depressing, but there is a sadness in this house. It\u2019s 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\u2019ll stay close to the kids\u2019 schools. I don\u2019t want to disrupt them. When you\u2019re a mum you\u2019re thinking about the children first and foremost.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/a> At the time she insisted she couldn\u2019t afford a full-time driver to get her kids to school. \u201cThat whole situation was really, really humiliating,\u201d she says now.<\/p>\n

\"HelenHelen co-parents with ex Scott Sinclair, who she admits fondly ‘drives her mad sometimes'(Image: Reach PLC \/ Alex James)<\/p>\n

\u201cI wasn\u2019t even driving the car, it was my ex-boyfriend [Robbie]. People assume because I\u2019m an actress and I was engaged to a footballer that I\u2019m wealthy, I can afford to not have a car. People assumed I could afford to pay a driver to transport my children around!<\/p>\n

\u201cAll I did was try and explain to the court that I couldn\u2019t afford a full-time driver. That\u2019s 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\u2019s the story that came out. Had I known that, I never would have said it.\u201d<\/p>\n

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<\/a> without her children. \u201cWomen should support women,\u201d she says emphatically.<\/p>\n

And on the day we meet, she\u2019s 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. \u201cGod, it\u2019s all going on,\u201d she says, assuring us her grandad is doing well and apologising profusely for the change in plan.<\/p>\n

\"HelenThere are ‘no hard feelings’ between Helen and her ex Robbie Talbot(Image: Reach PLC \/ Alex James)<\/p>\n

She\u2019s clearly a lovely, thoughtful, intelligent girl who has played up to her ditzy persona. But behind the fa\u00e7ade, she\u2019s a sensitive woman who\u2019s been through \u2013and is currently going through \u2013 a lot. \u201cI\u2019ve got ADHD <\/a>and I think anyone who\u2019s had mental health issues<\/a> knows it can make you a kinder, softer person,\u201d she says. \u201cYou know what it\u2019s like to struggle.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs I\u2019ve got older, I\u2019ve embraced the fact I\u2019m emotional. I like that I\u2019ve got a big heart. I\u2019m not perfect and I do make mistakes, but I wouldn\u2019t ever change that. I think of it as my superpower.\u201d For now, Helen is looking forward to what she hopes will be a happy, healthy future, especially as she reaches what she calls a \u201cmilestone\u201d age this year.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s my birthday in August, I\u2019ll be 35,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s a good age for a fresh start. I want to get more fit. \u201cI\u2019m going to get into Pilates and I\u2019m going to go on some trips this summer with the children. I\u2019ve got a secret acting job at the beginning of next year which will take me through to March. It\u2019s all very exciting.\u201d<\/p>\n

As we leave her to get back to her children, Helen stops. \u201cWe could always feel a bit more at peace,\u201d she ponders. \u201cBut the older you get, the more at peace you feel. I really do believe that.\u201d If that\u2019s the case, the future is surely looking bright for our newly single gal.<\/p>\n

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