Ryan Thomas seemed to have a dig at his ex-partner Tina O'Brien on Instagram this week, as he hinted at a parenting disagreement over their nine-year-old daughter Scarlett. Ryan, 33, uploaded a funny photo of Scarlett sat in a beauty salon, looking distinctly unimpressed as she had her nail polish removed. Alongside the snapshot, Ryan wrote: "So mummy puts nail varnish on, daddy takes it off," alongside an angry face emoji. The remark seems to have been made in good humour, however. Tina and Ryan's girlfriend Lucy Meckenburgh were quite to poke fun at the star in the comments section, with Tina joking: "@lucymeck1 don't worry the three of us can go next time and get matching nails and tattoos", to which Ryan replied: "tinaob83 you and Lucy can go, Scarlett can stay with me!"
Ryan Thomas shared a funny photo of Scarlett having her nail polish removed
Ryan and Tina started dating in 2003 after meeting on the set of Coronation Street, in which they starred as on-screen couple Sarah Platt and Jason Grimshaw. They welcomed daughter Scarlett in October 2008, but announced their split the following year. Tina has since gone on to welcome her second child, son Beau, with boyfriend Adam Crofts, while Ryan is in a relationship with Lucy.
STORY: Tina O'Brien hosts Halloween-themed party for daughter Scarlett
In 2016, Tina opened up about her relationship with Ryan as co-parents, and revealed they had managed to put any differences aside for the sake of their daughter. "It’s taken a lot of years and a lot of biting my tongue. Seriously, though, it's mainly down to Adam and Ryan," she told the Sun. "It helps that everyone has moved on and is in a happy place, and we are happy, so there aren't any issues. For the sake of Scarlett, it has been well worth preserving [our relationship] and choosing our battles."
The actor is a devoted dad to his nine-year-old daughter
Ryan has a very close relationship with little Scarlett, and in October he lamented the fact he was missing her ninth birthday for the first time because he was working in Australia. The Neighbours star took to Instagram to share a throwback picture of himself with Scarlett, writing: "Happy 9th birthday Scarlett, our first ever birthday apart makes this so much harder being the other side of the world. Love you my angel."