Christine McGuinness has revealed she will be spending Christmas with her estranged husband, Paddy McGuiness, for the sake of their children.

The couple announced their split back in July, 11 years after tying the knot, but have been determined to maintain an amicable relationship while they co-parent their three children, twins Leo and Penelope, nine, and six-year-old Felicity.

Despite their split, the exes are doing their best to put their kids first, which is one of the reasons they will be spending Christmas together as a family.

“That’s what the children are used to,” Christine, 34, told OK!. “We don’t know what the future holds or how it’s going to be moving forward, but we’ll try to keep things as normal as possible.

"We’re amicable. I’m quite happy for him to be there with the children and it’s nice for them to see mummy and daddy just being alright. We can sit and have a cup of tea together and that’s fine.

“I would never let the children be aware of anything other than us being happy and alright, because they’re so young and innocent.”

However, Christine did share that the couple’s children, don’t know their parents are no longer together romantically.

"No [they don’t know we’ve split] they’re so young," the mum-of-three explained. "I’m trying to just stick to their normal routine – take them to school in the morning, pick them up, try to work while they’re at school and take them to after-school clubs and just try to stick to normal life as much as possible."

In a joint statement shared to social media earlier this year, the pair confirmed their break up but revealed they "still have a great relationship" and still share a home.

"We hadn't planned on sharing this publicly until we were ready but the lack of privacy surrounding our personal life, we feel left with no other option but to clarify," the statement read.

"A while ago we took the difficult decision to separate but our main focus was as always is to continue loving and supporting our children.

"This was not an easy decision to make but we're moving forward as the best parents we can be for our three beautiful children."

Read more: Too broke to break up? A third of couples forced to live together after splitting

How to spend Christmas together after a split

The McGuinnesses aren't the only celebrity couple who have opted to spend Christmas together despite a break up.

Chris Martin and Gwyneth Paltrow famously spent their first Christmas as a separated couple together with their children on a Caribbean island.

Seal and his former wife Heidi Klum also reportedly spend the festive season together for the sake of their children.

Watch: Christine McGuinness says she's 'really not fine' after Paddy split

Behavioural change expert, Christine Wright, says there can be many benefits of split couples hosting Christmas together including providing the opportunity to create new traditions and showing children that regardless of the breakdown in the relationship, healthy relationship habits are still being instilled.

"Children can see that split parents can be civil to each other, which only strengthens the bonds, and communication and makes them feel safer," she explains.

But while some estranged parents are able to put their differences to one side during the festive period, it isn't always easy.

We spoke to the experts for some advice about navigating a family Christmas when you're no longer a couple.

Plan in advance

Planning and discussing the day beforehand will save a lot of stress on the day. Tina Wilson, relationship expert and Wingman founder suggests having set times and sticking to them. "Don’t just drop by" she says. "If the children open their presents at 7am invite your ex from 7-9am. Unless you are willing to extend the invite for the whole day then it does become more complicated. You'll also need to consider if your ex has a new partner and what their situation is."

Christine and Paddy have the extra consideration of their Children’s autism, with all three being diagnosed with Autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

"This can be a very over stimulating time for children with ASD and keeping routines and times set in stone for them will make it so much easier," Wilson adds. "Their children are also very young so they don’t need details of the situation just that their parents both love them and will be there at Christmas".

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Try to avoid conflict

Christmas is notoriously tricky in provoking arguments, and while it may be easier said than done with emotions running high it is best to try to avoid confrontation as much as possible while the family is together.

"For the sake of any children involved, it is always best to keep any drama away for the short time period, to keep things light and happy for all concerned," Wilson explains.

Parenting expert Amanda Jenner echos the sentiment that disagreements should be kept away from the festivities. "Children pick up any tension between parents so it's so important not to argue or voice any opinions as this will really impact on their day," she adds.

"Put your focus on your children and creating a happy environment, set your boundaries beforehand and make a pact not to discuss any issues that you may be having during your separation."

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Inform the wider family of your plans

Often other family members may express opinions about your plans for a post-split family Christmas, but Jenner suggests staying firm in the face of any negativity or raised eyebrows.

"The best way to deal with this is to let your family know what your wishes are," she explains. "Tell them this is what you will be doing as it's in the best interests of your children and it's not open for discussion.

"Then ask them to be mindful of the situation over the festive period."