'I STRUGGLE WITH MEN - I NEED TO FOCUS ON MYSELF FOR A BIT'

Newly single Helen Flanagan on why she's taking a break from dating and the truth about where she stands with her ex, Scott Sinclair

- SARAH MORTON

She's an actress, reality star and devoted mum, but it's Helen Flanagan's love life which often dominates the headlines.

From her 13-year-long romance with footballer Scott Sinclair, the father of her three children, to her "secret boyfriend" Robbie Talbot, who she was seeing while filming Celebs Go Dating last year, you can guarantee Helen's relationships will end up in the spotlight.

Now, two months after splitting from Robbie after a year together, Helen, 34, is ready to talk about what's next when it comes to dating - but there's not a lot on the horizon...

"I'm done with men for the time being," she tells us with a smile when we catch up with her the day after our exclusive shoot.

With her gorgeous children Matilda, 10, Delilah, seven, and four-year-old Charlie playing nearby, Helen says after all that's happened, she wants to focus on her family and career.

"I'm concentrating on the kids, work, moving house and being with my friends," she says. "To be honest, I struggle with dating a bit. I feel like there's always something with men. So right now I want to be single and keep my peace a little bit, you know?"

We wonder if her breakup with ex-footballer Robbie, 45, in May was particularly bad, given this unexpected take. After the pair revealed to OK! last October that they were thinking about marriage and kids, was she hurt by the split?

"Not at all," Helen insists. "Nothing bad happened and there are no hard feelings. Robbie was very sweet and kind. I've had a lot of struggles with relationships, first with the father of my kids, and I then dated an idiot for a while after that.