Michelle Hardwick is still "good pals" with her ex-wife.
The ‘Emmerdale’ actress split from Rosie Nicholl late last year – just two years after they tied the knot – but, despite going their separate ways, they have remained friends because they have joint custody of their pet pooches Harley and Jess.
Speaking on ‘Lorraine’ on Wednesday (26.07.17), she said: "We’re still good pals – we’ve got our two dogs."
Although the 41-year-old star – who came out gay in 2013 – has had a tough year, she has been blown away by how many people have approached her about their sexuality.
She said: "I’ve had a lot of people reaching out to me about sexuality. If I can help one person, then my job is done.
"When I was 21, 22 and discovering my sexuality I didn’t have anyone – there was no one I could have looked up. There’s a long way to go, but we’re getting there."
Michelle – who is known for playing Vanessa Woodfield in the long-running soap – announced that she and Rosie had split up in February because they started to drift apart.
She said at the time: "It was one of those things where we did drift apart. We had a big fairytale wedding and I still love that day, it was brilliant.
"It’s just really sad and one of those things that happens. We still have our dogs which we’ll share and nobody else was involved, it just happened and it was a mutual decision.
"I grew out of love and she became more of my best friend. It was like we were living as friends, not a married couple."
Michelle also kept it a secret from her cast mates until recently because she didn’t want to be bombarded with loads of questions when she was trying to get stuck into work.
She explained: "It wasn’t an overnight shock, it was just a slow-burning feeling we both had. I kept it a secret from everyone at work, I just came to work to work and didn’t want to discuss it with anybody. Nothing was posted on social media, we just wanted it to be private. But people have started to notice that I am not wearing my wedding ring.
"I didn’t want to respond until the time was right. It is really, really sad. I can’t help but think about my parents who were happily married at 17 and 18 and are still blissfully happy – and that makes me feel like a failure."
Michelle Hardwick ‘still good friends’ with ex-wife
