This Christmas Day will be the first time Helen Flanagan will be without her three children, because they are staying with their dad, Helen’s ex-fiancé, footballer Scott Sinclair.

But the former Coronation Street actress is planning a special treat for the family after Christmas.

Helen Flanagan

HELEN FLANAGAN ©GETTY IMAGES

Helen tells Closer, “I’m going to take all three of my kids, and my friends, to Bali for New Year.”

Following her split from Scott, who she was with for 13 years, last summer, Helen says the former couple are prioritising their daughters, Matilda, seven, and Delilah, five, and two-year-old son, Charlie, by sharing the festive period.

Last year she and Scott, 34, put their differences aside to spend Christmas together as a family. But this year, Helen, 33, says the distance between their homes has made it difficult.

Helen Flanagan and Scott Sinclair

HELEN FLANAGAN AND SCOTT SINCLAIR SPLIT IN JULY 2022 ©GETTY IMAGES

Helen – who reveals she “feels really sad” when forced to spend time apart from her children – says, “My children are very close to Scott’s mum – we get on very well – and they live in Bath and I live in Bolton. My children really miss their daddy and they’re very close to their nanna, so they’re going to spend Christmas with them.

“I won’t have them for about four days.

“It will actually be the first Christmas that I don’t have my children. I think it’s good to have challenges, and with co-parenting you’ve got to be fair. And it’s not about you, it’s about the children and what makes them happy.”