EXCLUSIVE: Helen Flanagan reveals co-parenting 'compromise' she made with ex-fiancé Scott Sinclair in rare admission after their shock split
Helen Flanagan has revealed the co-parenting 'compromise' she made with her ex-fiancé Scott Sinclair, following their shock split last year.
The former Coronation Street star, 32, shares children Matilda, seven, Delilah, five, and Charlie, two, with the pro footballer, 34.
However, when it comes to their eldest daughter wanting TikTok, the former couple came to an agreement as they navigate co-parenting.
In an exclusive interview with MailOnline, she revealed they've decided to let Matilda create a YouTube account instead - and that content will be coming very soon.
She made the comments while promoting NickWatch, a new smartwatch for kids by Nickelodeon, which she claimed her brood are 'obsessed' with.
Exes: Helen Flanagan has revealed the co-parenting 'compromise' she made with her ex-fiancé Scott Sinclair, following their shock split last year
Doting mum: The former Coronation Street star, 32, shares children Matilda, seven, Delilah, five, and Charlie, two, with the pro footballer, 34
Helen explained, 'My kids are always asking me, "Oh, mummy can have a phone?" all the time and, "Can have a phone?"
'And my eldest, especially, is always asking me, "Mummy, I want TikTok. I want TikTok." I took her on holiday recently and it's all she talks about.
'But obviously I'm not ready for my children at eight years old to have social media. But this is really cool, actually the NickWatch, because they have that sense of feeling grown up because they can message you and they can send you voice notes.
'They can call you and they've got loads of fun games and lots of things to do without having social media. And also the watch has a GPS tracker which is really cool as well so it's a nice comfort for a parent.'
Helen boasts one million followers on Instagram and she explained how Matilda is keen to follow in her famous mum's footsteps as an influencer.
She continued, 'I was 24 when I had Matilda. I'm 32 now. My little girl's nearly eight. And obviously I'm an actress, but I also work in social media so that's all she knows, really.
'Mummy's always been on social media as part of my job and I sometimes feel a bit guilty about that because she always wants to have like TikTok and all this, but I'm just not ready for that. I feel like she's too young, you know? It's a hard one.
'I think maybe when they go to secondary school, isn't it? I think everything changes a little bit, when they go to secondary school, I think you can kind of control things in primary school.
Decisions: However, when it comes to their eldest daughter wanting TikTok, the former couple came to an agreement as they navigate co-parenting
Opening up: Helen recently spoke out on adjusting to life as a single mother, saying she needs some 'adult time' to her herself
'It's a hard one because you don't want them to feel left out from their friends. Me and her dad, we co-parent together and we said she could have her own YouTube channel. So we've kind of compromised on that. I need to start it though. She'll absolutely love it.'
When asked what kind of content fans can expect, Helen replied: 'I'm not too sure, but I'm sure she'll tell me. She's got a mind of her own. I'm sure she'll offer lots of ideas.'
Helen recently spoke out on adjusting to life as a single mother, saying she needs some 'adult time' to her herself.
The actress took to her Instagram Stories on Sunday to discuss the issues she's having getting Delilah into a good sleep pattern.
Television personality Helen, who admitted she felt emotional as spent her first weekend alone without her children earlier this month, has welcomed her offspring back to her home, but admitted there are some habits she'd like to change with them.
She explained: 'I fell asleep with the kids last night. So Delilah does this thing where she will not go to sleep without me, not a chance, she will just scream and scream and scream.
'I have spoken to Scott's mum and I think we're going to get them in a different routine.
'Gosh, she's nearly five, but honestly, she won't go to sleep without me. She literally has to sleep right there (next to her face).
Strike a pose! Helen boasts one million followers on Instagram and she explained how Matilda is keen to follow in her famous mum's footsteps as an influencer
'So usually what I do, I pretend I'm going to sleep and then when she's asleep I sneak out the room.
'Anyway, I didn't, I fell asleep and I fell asleep in my contact lenses. Great!
'But also I need my own adult time even if it's just like I'm watching something I want to watch or I can speak to my friends. I just need that switch off.
'I would say I was well rested but my eyeballs hurt and we were up early this morning. '
It comes after Helen said co-parenting with Scott is 'pretty drama-free', insisting hey have been doing everything they can to make things easier for the kids since their split.
She told The Sun: 'I co-parent with Scott. We were together for a long time. So he lives with his mum in Bristol and I live in Manchester with the kids. I get on really well with Scott's mum.
'I was with Scott aged 19-31, so that's why I get on so well with his mum. So honestly it makes my life so easy because we hang out together. It's really nice. It's pretty drama free as I get on really well with her.
'The kids see their dad all the time, they see their nana a lot. We're always in Birmingham a lot to meet with the kids half way.
'The kids have an amazing time when they are with me too. I have a friend that helps me, because obviously I work as well. I work nearly every day so I do have a friend that comes to help me because well, I'm not a superwoman.
'We do mum things, the kids all have different activities too. Then when they go to their dad, they have a lovely time with him. They've just been to Dubai actually for a week with their dad and had a lovely time. So I missed them when they were away, but it was a shock to my system when they were back. '
The NickWatch, a new connected smartwatch for children aged 6-9, with built-in GPS tracking and a wealth of Nickelodeon-inspired interactive games and tasks for kids, is available to purchase now on www.nickwatch.com with the linked Caretaker App downloadable on all App stores.
Good buy: She made the comments while promoting NickWatch, a new smartwatch for kids by Nickelodeon, which she claimed her brood are 'obsessed' with
