Helen Flanagan Declares She Will Never Date a Footballer Again
Helen Flanagan has taken a pointed swipe at her ex-fiancé Scott Sinclair, firmly stating that she will never date a footballer again following their acrimonious split. The former Coronation Street actress, 35, and the professional footballer, 36, have experienced ongoing tensions since ending their 13-year relationship in 2022.
New Beginnings on Reality TV
Now, Helen is seeking love anew as she appears on the upcoming series of Celebrity Ex On The Beach. In an interview with the Daily Mail, the soap star was directly asked if she would ever consider dating another footballer. "No! Definitely not," she responded with a laugh. Helen also expressed that she harbours no regrets from her past relationships, emphasising that "life is too short and I think you've got to go with your heart."
Co-Parenting and Protecting Her Children
Helen and Scott share three children: Matilda, 10, Delilah, seven, and son Charlie, four. They have been co-parenting for the past four years since their separation. The actress revealed to the Daily Mail that she keeps her love life "very separate" from her children, describing herself as "very protective" of them.
She explained: "I keep my love life like very separate, my children are so precious. It would take a lot for me to introduce anyone to my children, because they're like that's so precious, it would have to be really right and a very sensible male, yeah."
No More Shrinking for Men
Elsewhere in the conversation, Helen insisted she is tired of "shrinking herself and toning things down" for men, outlining what she truly desires in a relationship. "I feel like I've had to shrink myself sometimes," she said. "I think it's a really lovely feeling when you're with a man and you feel like I can really be myself here and they think I'm great, they think I'm really funny and I don't have to tone myself down."
The mother-of-three added that she never attempts to force a connection with a man, believing that "the connection is either there or not."
Anticipated Exes on the Show
Fans will have to wait and see which of Helen's exes she might encounter on the hit reality dating show, which airs on March 31. Potential appearances could include her ex-fiancé Scott Sinclair, Robbie Talbot, or even boxer David Haye.
Earlier this year, Helen detailed her deep feelings for David Haye, 45, in her autobiography Head & Heart, admitting she fell "deeply in love" with the former world champion, though their romance was complicated. She lifted the lid on their "throuple" dynamic, having first met David when they both appeared on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! in 2012.
They enjoyed a brief romance after her split from Scott a decade later, reconnecting at an awards ceremony in autumn 2022 when David reached out after seeing a lingerie shoot she had done for Ann Summers.
Searching for Love in the Public Eye
Now embarking on another quest for love—having previously appeared on Celebs Go Dating—Helen has revealed she hopes to settle down with someone in the public eye. She admitted to fearing being taken advantage of outside the spotlight.
The star-studded cast of Celebrity Ex On The Beach includes:
- Love Island's Toby Aromolaran
- MAFS UK star Amy Kenyon
- Love Is Blind UK's Freddie Powell
- Too Hot To Handle stars Chase DeMoor and Izzy Fairthorne
- TOWIE's Dani Imbert
- Jedward's John Grimes
Ongoing Feud and Property Dispute
In January, sources claimed that Scott had decided Helen must move out of the £1.5 million six-bedroom home they previously shared after communication between them "completely broke down." Helen eventually pleaded with followers to stop sending her messages about Scott as their feud escalated dramatically.
Taking to her Instagram Stories, she shared a video insisting she "didn't care" about her former fiancé and wanted fans to cease contacting her about him. She said: "I’ve been getting messages as well, quite a lot of DMs about the whereabouts of the father of my kids. Please, I really don’t care. No one needs to DM me and tell me his personal business. I’m spared of that now."
The house, which is in Scott's name, was put on the market last year. It is now thought that he believes Helen needs to move into a smaller property as he wishes to stop paying maintenance. Scott initially listed the house for £1.5 million in May, reduced it to £1.195 million four weeks later, and then to £995,000 in September.
Celebrity Ex on the Beach Series 4 launches in the UK on Paramount+ from Tuesday 31st March.
