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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To feel bad for Helen Flanagan here?

358 replies

mumofoneAloneandwell · 23/01/2026 19:57

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https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/helen-flanagan-furiously-hits-out-36599678.amp

she’s being made to sell their home and work, taking jobs she wouldn’t normally, and being away from her kids?

I know some of you are gonna be like ‘poor little rich girl’ 😂😂😂 but honestly, what kind of man is this?? Feel for her a little (from my own, much lower, tax bracket)

OP posts:
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AnAlpacaForChristmasPleaseSanta · 24/01/2026 15:36

I read an excerpt of her book on the mail site today, all I will say is David Haye = 🤢

Blondeshavemorefun · 24/01/2026 15:34

She would have a forever roof over her an her kids heads

and she would own it

CommonlyKnownAs · 24/01/2026 15:33

Itsnotallbadreally · 24/01/2026 15:28

Then she can make money for herself instead of expecting her ex to pay for her lifestyle.

Edited

Well, he's going to be paying a lot since he's got 3 kids with her and clearly isn't doing anything close to an equal share of the childrearing. Unless he wants to move to Bolton.

But I agree, she'd be better accepting the paid off property offer and focusing on her own earnings.

mumofoneAloneandwell · 24/01/2026 15:29

CommonlyKnownAs · 24/01/2026 15:19

I thought I'm A Celeb was considered quite a good gig, reality TV wise? I know it's unpleasant but it has a big audience and presumably pays more than the less popular stuff. She seems to have successfully used it to generate more work.

Was that a while ago though? Recently she was on Celebs go dating, which is quite the step down 😬

OP posts:
mumofoneAloneandwell · 24/01/2026 15:28

Gahr · 24/01/2026 15:10

No, we're not. Best to quit while you're ahead. Nobody should be relying on their ex spouse/partner years after the split. When Kevin Federline tried that with Britney, he was rightly hung, drawn and quartered.

That’s fine, you don’t have to like what I’m saying.

The two aren’t remotely comparable though, this guy isn’t a mentally ill woman, he’s a man who started a family that now require looking after. And imo he’s not going to go bankrupt ensuring she keeps her kids house.

and yeah she isn’t Helen mirren but soap acting is still respectable acting, which she stopped to raise his kids

these people are richer than most which means their lifestyles differ to most, which is why the house that she has raised their family in doesn’t seem like much of an ask to me tbh

OP posts:
Itsnotallbadreally · 24/01/2026 15:28

CommonlyKnownAs · 24/01/2026 15:04

She is working, probably more than him at the moment from the looks of things. Being photographed regularly in underwear is actually part of her job, since she has lingerie endorsement contracts and projects to promote.

Then she can make money for herself instead of expecting her ex to pay for her lifestyle.

CommonlyKnownAs · 24/01/2026 15:19

I thought I'm A Celeb was considered quite a good gig, reality TV wise? I know it's unpleasant but it has a big audience and presumably pays more than the less popular stuff. She seems to have successfully used it to generate more work.

Hopingforaholiday · 24/01/2026 15:19

He could be trying to pick up a short contract abroad to get some money. The rant she had about him going to F1 in Middle East in December he may have been on a jolly, may have been talking to clubs/having medicals.
Ironic if what she was criticising him for buys her a house.

Gahr · 24/01/2026 15:10

mumofoneAloneandwell · 24/01/2026 15:08

😂😂 I’ve chosen to leave it tbh, you lot aren’t having it at all!

No, we're not. Best to quit while you're ahead. Nobody should be relying on their ex spouse/partner years after the split. When Kevin Federline tried that with Britney, he was rightly hung, drawn and quartered.

Gahr · 24/01/2026 15:08

mumofoneAloneandwell · 24/01/2026 15:07

😂😂😂 okay then, an accomplished(?) actor - soap acting isn’t for the weak

Maybe not, but she's hardly Helen Mirren, now is she?

mumofoneAloneandwell · 24/01/2026 15:08

DaisyChain505 · 24/01/2026 15:00

You can die on this hill all you want but having children does not give anyone (male or female) a free pass to not have to work again.

Being a stay at home parent is a privilege not a right and it also isn’t a life long contract if you happen to be a stay at home parent.

Life can change for anybody at the drop of a hat. People lose jobs, get divorced, lose money and many other situations which all mean that the way life is currently lived has to be rethought and changed.

😂😂 I’ve chosen to leave it tbh, you lot aren’t having it at all!

OP posts:
mumofoneAloneandwell · 24/01/2026 15:07

Gahr · 24/01/2026 15:06

She isn't a skilled actor. Is this thread a wind up!?

😂😂😂 okay then, an accomplished(?) actor - soap acting isn’t for the weak

OP posts:
Gahr · 24/01/2026 15:06

mumofoneAloneandwell · 24/01/2026 14:45

In that industry she isn’t remotely considered young!!

I think that she had to take a reality tv job which was beneath her skills as an actor - that isn’t fair imo

I can see that only a few agree with me, I’m leaving it here 😂

I’m still right though! 🤭🤷‍♀️

She isn't a skilled actor. Is this thread a wind up!?

CommonlyKnownAs · 24/01/2026 15:04

Itsnotallbadreally · 24/01/2026 14:49

She needs to work and her moving into a smaller property is hardly likely to be a hovel.
His career will be shorter than hers, she just doesn’t want to work. She would much rather be in the paper every other week in her underwear pouting like an idiot.
I would say exactly the same married or not. There is no reason why she can’t work given the age of the kids.

She is working, probably more than him at the moment from the looks of things. Being photographed regularly in underwear is actually part of her job, since she has lingerie endorsement contracts and projects to promote.

TheKeatingFive · 24/01/2026 15:02

mumofoneAloneandwell · 24/01/2026 14:45

In that industry she isn’t remotely considered young!!

I think that she had to take a reality tv job which was beneath her skills as an actor - that isn’t fair imo

I can see that only a few agree with me, I’m leaving it here 😂

I’m still right though! 🤭🤷‍♀️

Actors who aren't A list can't afford to be turning their noses up at jobs 'beneath their skills'. That's not how the industry works, they need to take what they can get!

DaisyChain505 · 24/01/2026 15:00

mumofoneAloneandwell · 24/01/2026 14:45

In that industry she isn’t remotely considered young!!

I think that she had to take a reality tv job which was beneath her skills as an actor - that isn’t fair imo

I can see that only a few agree with me, I’m leaving it here 😂

I’m still right though! 🤭🤷‍♀️

You can die on this hill all you want but having children does not give anyone (male or female) a free pass to not have to work again.

Being a stay at home parent is a privilege not a right and it also isn’t a life long contract if you happen to be a stay at home parent.

Life can change for anybody at the drop of a hat. People lose jobs, get divorced, lose money and many other situations which all mean that the way life is currently lived has to be rethought and changed.

Itsnotallbadreally · 24/01/2026 14:49

She needs to work and her moving into a smaller property is hardly likely to be a hovel.
His career will be shorter than hers, she just doesn’t want to work. She would much rather be in the paper every other week in her underwear pouting like an idiot.
I would say exactly the same married or not. There is no reason why she can’t work given the age of the kids.

mumofoneAloneandwell · 24/01/2026 14:45

SuziQuinto · 24/01/2026 13:40

No, it's not. If doctors can't get into their specialist area, they have many other options within the medical profession, which can still be fulfilling and, of course, are paid well. I doubt she'd be called "spoiled" for looking for a suitable niche.
Helen obviously has acting work on the go, the play (qv) sounds interesting, who knows what direction she wants to go in. However, she's still a young and attractive woman, so let's be honest, it'll be easier for her than for many other women in the acting profession.

In that industry she isn’t remotely considered young!!

I think that she had to take a reality tv job which was beneath her skills as an actor - that isn’t fair imo

I can see that only a few agree with me, I’m leaving it here 😂

I’m still right though! 🤭🤷‍♀️

Fine As Hell GIF by myHQ
OP posts:
purpleme12 · 24/01/2026 14:24

This is such a strange thread

Hopingforaholiday · 24/01/2026 14:12

Yes says released May 25 when they got relegated. So no longer playing.
I’d be wanting a deal signed asap if I was her.

ProfessionalPirate · 24/01/2026 14:02

NameChangeElaine · 24/01/2026 13:26

His finances are his responsibility. If he hasn’t managed to save and prepare for the future, that’s on him.

Well yes I’m not saying it isn’t but likewise the same goes for her, she knew they weren’t married so should have either kept her career going (I’m sure they could have afforded a nanny) or made sure a certain amount of money was put in her name, that’s on her.

You can’t hold it against him but then give her a pass, both were young and dumb.

Footballers’ careers are notoriously fickle and short. It’s not like he couldn’t predict that this would happen.

Again same goes for her, she would have known just as well as him that his career would basically be done by this point so the money would dry up; even if they were still together she’d have known he couldn’t afford to keep their lifestyle going and they’d have to cut their cloth. Apparently he was released from Bristol Rovers in 2025 so he isn’t even earning now.

When we decided to put our kids into private school, we had the money saved in advance as security, we wouldn’t have put them in otherwise.

Well that’s because you’re probably a sensible and responsible person with your head screwed on, unfortunately these two didn’t do the same.

I clearly don’t know as much detail about their financial arrangements as you do

I only know as much as these two (mainly Helen) like to blab to the press. I have an illness that hospitalises me regularly so reading vacuous nonsense about z-list celebrities is a good way to keep my mind off things.

but I imagine if they’d been married she would have received the house in settlement and more.

I wouldn’t be too sure about that, they split up when he was passed his prime and nearing the end of his career and if reports are to be believed, then they were actually in debt from living far beyond their means for years. I’m actually inclined to believe it as he was on the lower end of the pay scale for a premier league footballer (with no outside income streams from things like endorsements) yet the two of them lived like they were Posh and Becks. While the house may be in his name, I’m assuming any debt is too as he was the main earner. I’d hazard a guess that’s why Helen isn’t pursuing Schedule 1 of the children’s act because in an interview she said it’s not suitable for their circumstances so she’s obviously looked into it and it would make sense if he was actually in the red or breaking even. Who knows though.

I think the whole problem is they came into so much money so young without any proper education behind them and seemingly no one to advise them either (or they didn’t listen). It’s absolutely unfathomable to me that they didn’t use what they had to set themselves up for life but there you go.

Obviously it’s on her that she didn’t ensure this, but she must feel like she is building her life on moving sands, at the mercy of her ex.

Well not really because this was always the plan, they agreed that she’d stay in the house until the youngest started school (with him paying the mortgage and utilities on top of maintenance) and then they’d sell up and he’d buy her her own house; the thinking was with the youngest in school she’d be able to work more and therefore afford to run her own house. She’s known for 4 years this was coming so I’d hardly call it moving sands or her being at the mercy of her ex, it’s not come out of the blue. In previous years she’s actually been quite positive about the arrangement in interviews saying she’d maybe move to London as it would be good for her career.

While I do feel for Helen, I don’t think it’s a case of Scott being malicious or a shit dad or someone who doesn’t want to provide for his kids, I genuinely think it’s a case of two young people who mismanaged their money and it’s now come home to roost.

I’ll hold my hands up and say I clearly don’t know enough about their situation to be commenting. I will only add that while I agree HF is partly to blame if her spending was excessive, I think the majority must lie with SS - it was his income and therefore his responsibility to ensure it was spent wisely. They weren’t married - it’s possible that HF didn’t even have the full financial picture until it was too late. It’s a sad state of affairs though, they’ve both been very silly. I feel for the children.

CommonlyKnownAs · 24/01/2026 13:48

Also I didn't realise he'd stopped playing now. No current club. Would imagine for a 36 year old that's probably it, because if he wanted to keep going and was fit enough there are clubs at a lower level than Bristol Rovers who'd have him.

Hopingforaholiday · 24/01/2026 13:46

Interesting if she’s not pursuing a pt1 claim, I’ll look at full interview. Presumably as he’s no longer a high earner?

MoFadaCromulent · 24/01/2026 13:43

How many of your ex partners that you didn't marry are you paying a wage and for their rent op?

Hopingforaholiday · 24/01/2026 13:41

She’s utterly bonkers if she opts to stay in his 6 bed (formerly 8 bed) house as his guest. Even if he’s generous and agrees until youngest child is 18 or 21 she’ll be 50 plus and homeless.
That’s the deal Kyle Walkers ex got despite throwing expensive lawyers at it, she won’t be housed after youngest reaches majority or leaves university if they go.
He’s offering to buy her a 4 bed house outright in her name.
Even if they had stayed together they may well have opted as a couple to downsize to a 4 bed once he stopped playing high level.

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