Helen Flanagan says I'm A Celebrity was 'distraction' from relationship split

Helen Flanagan has said I’m A Celebrity… South Africa was a “distraction” amid the end of her long relationship with Scott Sinclair.

The former Coronation Street star and footballer Sinclair – who have three young children together – have gone their separate ways after 13 years together.

Their break up came close to five years after they got engaged.

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Flanagan was first on I’m A Celebrity in 2012 and returned to the jungle last year to film the All-Star series of the ITV show, which is airing now.

She has now been eliminated from the competition, and opening up on Lorraine, she said: “It was a distraction, definitely.

"I definitely have kind of tried to throw myself into work and I kind of feel where I’m at a stage in my life now where I feel like, ‘Oh, what does Helen want?'

"Not mum Helen or you know… what do I actually want to do. So I feel like I’m in that nice stage where I’m finding myself a little bit again."

Flanagan, 32, and Sinclair are now co-parenting their two-year-old son Charlie and daughters Delilah, four, and Matilda, seven.

The actor said the children are currently in Dubai with their dad, admitting it felt “really weird” to be without them.

She went on: “I’m really close to Scott’s mum, like we’re really, really, really close.

“We are good friends. We always have been so that makes everything a lot easier as well.”

Read more: Helen Flanagan admits she'd rather give birth than do I'm A Celebrity trial

Flanagan and Sinclair got together in 2009 and they got engaged in 2018 when the footballer popped the question during a trip to Disneyland.

However, late last year it was reported that they had split.

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