September is here which means no more lazy mornings enjoying the summer holidays – even parents such as Davina McCall and Peter Andre will be getting back into the routine of dropping off and picking up their children at the school gates.
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They are just some of the celebrities who make coordinating the school run with their ex-partners look easy (if that's possible!). Following their recent splits, Helen Skelton and Rachel Stevens will also be working out the new normal when it comes to organising transport for their kids. Take a look…
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Helen Skelton and Richie Myler
Helen Skelton said she and Richie Myler "will be doing our best to co-parent our small children" when she confirmed their separation back in April, just four months after welcoming their youngest child, baby daughter Elsie. They are also parents to sons Ernie, seven, and Louis, five.
Helen's mum previously stayed at her home to help out with the school run, so the former couple may continue to turn to family for help. She told Lorraine Kelly back in July: "My mum has come to stay for the week, because she doesn't live near, so she's got the kids off to school.
"Monday morning when you've got to get the kids to school is just... It's the same drill every day but somehow it's always chaos! 'Get the socks on, get their shoes on, where's their school bags?!'"
Paddy and Christine McGuinness
Paddy and Christine McGuinness announced their separation in June, so this will mark their first year sharing the school run as exes. However, since they continue to live in their family home with twins Penelope and Leo, nine, and Felicity, six, it should make organising transport a little easier.
At the time of their split, they shared a statement that read: "A while ago we took the difficult decision to separate but our main focus as always is to continue loving and supporting our children. This was not an easy decision to make, but we’re moving forward as the best parents we can be for our three beautiful children.
"We'll always be a loving family, we still have a great relationship and still live happily in our family home together."
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Rachel Stevens and Alex Bourne
Rachel Stevens announced she had ended her relationship with Alex Bourne in July, almost 13 years after they tied the knot.
Together, they share two daughters, Amelie and Minnie, and she said they "will remain partners in parenthood to our beautiful girls" and "continue to be focused on moving forward united as a family."
Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony
Despite being in a new relationship with Alex Rodriguez, Jennifer Lopez still happily co-parents with her ex-husband Marc Anthony, who is the father of her twins Emme and Max, now 12.
From sporting events to Christmas concerts, the former couple is often pictured at the same events, cheering on their children. So we imagine co-ordinating the school run will be slightly easier for J.Lo and Marc since the pair have remained close friends following their divorce.
Peter Andre and Katie Price
Peter Andre shares Princess and Junior with his ex-wife Katie Price, while he shares daughter Amelia and son Theo with wife Emily MacDonagh – and the doting dad revealed his eldest children help him prepare for school! In 2019, Peter showed off Princess and Amelia's sweet bond on Instagram, writing: "Sisterly love. Bista doing Amelia's hair before school." How clever!
Davina McCall and Matthew Robertson
Davina McCall opened up about her relationship with ex-husband Matthew Robertson back in 2019, revealing the pair share responsibilities such as school trips. In an interview with Good Housekeeping, the Long Lost Family host praised Matthew for his support since their split in 2017, particularly when it comes to parenting their three children – Holly, 18, Tilly, 16, and 13-year-old Chester. "Matthew is quite hands-on, so I have support from him," Davina shared. "We share the school runs in the morning, which is really nice."
Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Philippe
Even after Reese Witherspoon split from her former co-star Ryan Philippe, the pair have tried to stay connected for their children Ava and Deacon, even standing on the sidelines together at games.
"It is so important as divorced parents to keep that connection," the actor told Ellen DeGeneres in 2010. "We go to all the school events together, and we're there for each other."
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Kourtney Kardashian and Scott Disick
Kourtney Kardashian and Scott Disick ensured their three children split their time between their mum and dad's homes during the coronavirus lockdown, so we imagine the former couple will have a similarly well-organised system for when Mason, Penelope and Reign return to school.
Kourtney and Scott previously opened up about their experiences co-parenting during a discussion on Poosh's website. The mother-of-three said: "I do think we are very lucky to be doing it this way and we can if we have an issue or something that, you know, one of the kids is going through, we can deal with it together. And, you know, nobody knows our kids better than us so to be able to do that together and like come up with solutions together, I think is, you know, there’s no better … like what else could you want."
Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner
Ben Affleck and his ex-wife Jennifer Garner share three children Violet, Seraphina and Samuel, and the pair have been pictured on numerous school runs together since splitting in June 2015.
Confirming the news in a statement, they said: "After much thought and careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to divorce. We go forward with love and friendship for one another and a commitment to co-parenting our children whose privacy we ask to be respected during this difficult time."
Louise and Jamie Redknapp
Louise and Jamie Redknapp announced their split in 2017 after 19 years of marriage and two children together, but that didn't stop them from both getting involved in trips to and from school. Louise told The Guardian in 2020: "I’m the shabbiest mum on the school run" – but we find that hard to believe!
Meanwhile, Jamie confessed back in 2016 he enjoys picking up the kids in the evenings. "Yeah, I love doing the school run, I can't wait to speak to them and see what they're up to," he said to the Belfast Telegraph.
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