I SPEND CHRISTMAS WITH MY EX

Vanessa Hook, 50, couldn't imagine the festivities without her former flame

- WORDS: MISHAAL KHAN, PAULA ROBINSON.

Snuggling on the sofa after a Chinese takeaway, I soaked up the festive spirit. Fairy lights twinkling on the tree, presents wrapped and piled up underneath - I was all set for the big day.

'I can't wait to see their faces when they open their presents,' I whispered to my husband, George, then 41.

It was Christmas Eve 2013, and we were settling in to watch The Muppet Christmas Carol with our kids - Jess, then 12, Belle, eight, Teddy, six, and Rose, three. It was a little festive family tradition.

George and I had been childhood sweethearts. After meeting through mutual friends, we'd started dating when I was 16. George, then 19, proposed in a matter of months and we'd tied the knot on Valentine's Day 1994 in a small ceremony at our local church.

FALLING OUT OF LOVE

Over the years, we'd had our ups and downs, like any couple, but George wasn't just my husband, he was my best friend.

Without a father figure in my life, he was the first man I'd ever loved and who loved me back. As we focused on family life and raising the kids, I knew he'd be in my life forever. But, after more than two decades of marriage, the daily grind of life and taking care of four children, by 2015 there was a shift in our relationship.

We both recognised that distance had grown between us. The problem was simple - we just weren't in love with each other any more. But it meant the solution was somewhat impossible - we couldn't make each other fall back in love.

After agreeing to split, the divorce was amicable. We didn't hate each other, there was no reason to fight. 'I still love you, just differently,' I told George.