Helen Flanagan's admission about feeling 'guilty' as she talks co-parenting with Scott Sinclair
Helen Flanagan has candidly opened up about the realities of mum guilt after her children went on holiday without her. The former Coronation Street star, 33, split from fiance Scott Sinclair back in 2022, after welcoming three children during their 13 year relationship.
Taking to Instagram Helen shared a sweet video of her and her two-year-old son Charlie, alongside side which she shared a length caption about her feelings of guilt. She began: "Not seen my babies for 11 days as they were in Dubai with their daddy x
"I feel such a horrible mummy for not seeing them and guilty but I think it’s important for them to have a nice time with their daddy, I suppose mum guilt never goes no matter what you do x"
Adding that she still received lots of pictures of the children while they were away, Helen wrote that despite the continued feelings of mum guilt she feels like she's in "such a better place" than she was last year, and that time is a "massive healer."
She continued: "As mummys we just do our best at that time x Maybe I’ve not always got it right but always had the right intentions x I feel like I’ve changed so many times since Matilda was born and that we have grown together and our bond is really special x"
Reflecting on her split from Scott, and how this affected her bond with her children, Helen reflected on how Charlie was still breastfeeding at this time, revealing that this led to her feeling "trapped and stuck." She wrote: "I couldn’t do anything on my own independently as my baby needed to be stuck with me all the time and he would just cry for me and maybe because everything felt a lot emotionally."
When Charlie eventually stopped breastfeeding, Helen says she needed "space" to get her head together to begin feeling like her own person again, and "not just a mother but a woman too."
Recalling this time now, she continued: "I do feel guilty for maybe not being as present with Charlie as I was with the girls. I struggled to sit and just play with him. To be honest I struggled to be in the house too much as it all felt a bit sad.
"Their daddy moved away for football and originally he suprised me with our family home that me and the kids live in and I suppose at the beginning I just didn’t want to take on the reality that it really was just me now and the three little ones. That was just a bit much for me.
"The beginning of the year was tricky and I felt so guilty for not being my best. I know I’ll have such a beautiful relationship with Charlie and the girls. Feel in such a happier place this summer and I’m so grateful."
