Helen Flanagan is worried her relationship with new man Robbie Talbot could be “going backwards” after he moved out of her family home just months after they began living together, a source tells new!. The former Coronation Street star, 34, revealed last week that she asked the former pro footballer to move out of her Manchester home after realising her three kids, whom she shares with ex-fiance Scott Sinclair, weren’t ready to have another man in the house.
Now, our source says that while Helen is desperate to make the relationship work, it’s difficult to juggle her role as devoted mum to children Matilda, nine, Delilah, six, and three-year-old Charlie, while building something new. “Helen just adores Robbie and really wants this to work, but she is disappointed he has had to move out because it feels like it’s one step forward and one back,” says the source. “They want to really give this a go but it’s not as easy as they thought it would be.”
Back in 2022, Helen split from her partner Scott after 13 years together, and the former couple have since been working to successfully co-parent their brood. Helen then began dating 45-year-old Robbie, who is a dad-of-two, last year, with the pair moving in together in October.
But discussing the recent decision for Robbie to move out again, Helen said in a recent interview with Fabuous, “I’d asked him to stay for a while, because I often get quite scared in the house on my own and feel safer with a man there. “But Matilda is very sensitive and a proper daddy’s girl, and she struggles with not seeing Scott as often as she’d like. I always think about how she feels when she misses her dad, and having my boyfriend there maybe doesn’t help her.
“When you’re a mum, you do what you’ve got to do for your kids – I will always put mine first.” Helen added that their new arrangement means the romance is ‘fresh’ and allows her to co-sleep with her kids smoothly.
And while she may be putting on a brave face, our source says it’s not been an easy transition for Helen. They explain, “It’s tough because she has the responsibility of the kids and balancing her relationship – she doesn’t want it to be one or the other. Robbie moving out does feel like a setback but she’s reminding herself that it’s the best thing for the family.”
Helen’s love life isn’t the only thing that’s been thrown into the spotlight recently, as the actress was left ‘mortified’ when she was recently given a six-month driving ban. Helen says that the case came about after her partner Robbie was caught speeding twice while driving her Audi, and when police documents were sent to her address, she “naively” thought he was the one who needed to fill them in, not realising that as the owner of the vehicle, it was her responsibility.
In turn, she was charged with two counts of failing to give information relating to the identification of a driver. In a bid to prevent the ban, the mum-of-three told court she was ‘struggling financially’ and wouldn’t suffer hardship without having a car to get her children around.
However, Helen has since admitted that she was left embarrassed when her financial admissions to the court became public knowledge. Talking at Wirral Magistrates Court, Helen also admitted she wasn’t happy with Robbie for the speeding, which left her to face the consequences. Asking if Robbie would be able to drive her car amid the ban, Helen said, “I would feel really, really angry if my boyfriend was to take that away from me and then he’d drive my car. I don’t think that would sit well with me.”
With Helen now left without the ability to drive following the incident, our source says, “She is feeling mortified about the whole driving scandal, she didn’t want it to be so public and is embarrassed that she’s not able to drive, especially with Scott living so far from the family, it makes everything harder. “She was frustrated at Robbie for not sorting it out before it went too far and it was more the embarrassment that was the worst, but they’ve managed to move past it and she’s having to deal with the cards that have been dealt.”
While Helen and Robbie have seemingly not had it easy the last few months following the driving ban and now living apart, the source assures things aren’t all doom and gloom for the pair. “She is head over heels for Robbie and does feel they’re made for each other. Helen wants it to work this time and feels like they are really strong in the relationship, despite the setbacks,” they explain. We love the positivity, Helen.
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