Breakups can be ugly, devastating experiences, especially when there are kids involved.
Suddenly, you wake up one day alone in your bed, and it dawns on you--you're a single parent, and you don't know where to begin picking up the pieces.
But most of all, you worry about how the kids will react and if the separation will somehow ruin them.
While most breakups end in years of deep-seated anger, a few former lovers somehow find that they can actually be friends after the romance has fizzled.
Time, after all, heals all wounds.
Take, for instance, these celebrity couples, who have managed to stay friends. They may not have found "forever" with their former flames, but they did find a friend for life.
Vicki Belo and Atom Henares
Eyebrows were raised when doctor to the stars Vicki Belo attended the premier of My Candidate with two dates in tow--her longtime boyfriend Hayden Kho Jr. and ex-husband Atom Henares.
Atom and Vicki are parents to Cristalle and Quark Henares.
They are such great friends, in fact, that Vicki's youngest daughter, 16-month old Scarlet Snow, calls Atom her "papa Atom". In the video below, Atom is teaching Scarlet all about animals.
Aga Muhlach and Janice de Belen
Aga Muhlach and Janice de Belen's young love ended soon after their child, Luigi "Igi Boy", was born in 1987.
They continued to co-parent Igi after they separated, though Igi spent most of his time with Janice.
In a previous interview by Julie Bonifacio on PEP.ph, Aga revealed that he always consults Janice when it comes to Igi.
Today, Aga and Janice are grandparents to two wonderful young ladies from Igi who is a successful chef.
Next page: Find out which celebrity got jealous when he thought his former lover found someone new
Claudine Barretto and Raymart Santiago
After a very public feud, this former couple are now trying to be the best of friends for the sake of their children, Santino and Sabina.
"Kami ni Raymart, we’re really good friends now. We’re trying our best to be talaga good parents, kasi nga nag-fail po kami as husband and wife sa mga anak namin, so we don’t want to fail as parents naman. So ngayon, napag-usapan namin na i-stop na ang lahat-lahat ng mga kaso and mag co-parenting na lang sa pagpapalaki ng mga anak namin," Claudine told members of the entertainment press.
(Raymart and I, we're really good friends now. We're trying our best to really be good parents, because we failed as husband and wife to our kids, so we don't want to fail as parents. So now, we agreed to stop all cases and just co-parent our kids.)
Karla Estrada and Rommel Padilla
Karla Estrada and Rommel Padilla, the parents of matinee idol Daniel Padilla, are such good friends that Rommel can even joke about feeling jealous whenever his ex-lady love is rumored to be dating someone new.
In a recent episode of Magandang Buhay, Rommel and Karla revealed they remained very good friends after the breakup. Karla also said that Rommel is still very protective of her.
"Biniro ko siya. Alam mo ako, kapag may pagkakataon kasi na makakalabit at makausap ko siya na medyo papakiligin ko, ganun," Rommel admitted.
(I teased her. You know, whenever there's a chance to talk to her, I like to make her feel like I'm flirting with her.)
Rommel also made sure to acknowledge Karla in his speech during Daniel's 21st birthday party in April.
Click next to find out which celebrity flew abroad to see his ex-wife and her current husband
Gabby Conception and Sharon Cuneta
Gabby Conception and Sharon Cuneta were the biggest love team back in the 80's. And when their on-screen romance became a real-life love story, their fans were euphoric.
The two got married on September 23, 1984, and they welcomed a daughter a year later. Their fairy tale romance, however, was not meant to be, and the couple separated soon after.
Today, Gabby and Sharon have moved on and are even open to doing a project together for old time's sake. Gabby also made an appearance on Sharon's show in 2010.
"Friends na kami," Gabby said in an interview with PEP.ph.
(We're friends now.)
"You can write that down. Sharon and I are friends now. It's different. When my dad died, things have changed. You know, time has a mysterious way of healing things and I think it's happening," Gabby added.
Ogie Alcasid and Michelle Van Eimeren
On March 15, Ogie Alcasid greeted his ex-wife, former beauty queen Michelle Van Eimeren, a happy birthday.
"Happy bday dear Shelley @michellevaneimeren we love you and miss you. We pray for a blessing of continued great health and the realization of your biggest dreams," he wrote in an Instagram post featuring a photo of a smiling Michelle holding a bouquet of flowers. Ogie tagged their children Sarah and Leila, and his wife, Regine Velasquez.
Last year, Regine and Ogie flew to Australia to visit Michelle and her current hubby, Mark Morrow.
But that's not all! Michelle and Mark are godparents to Ogie and Regine's son, Nate!
Ninong Mark carries Nate on his shoulders.
Our last showbiz couple is also the youngest -- on the next page.
Jennylyn Mercado and Patrick Garcia
It was a bitter end to the romance of Jennylyn Mercado and Patrick Garcia in 2008 when Jennylyn was still pregnant with their son, Alex Jazz.
The two, however, patched things up for the sake of Alex, and they continue to be good friends today. Jennylyn is even in good terms with Patrick's wife, Nikka Garcia.
Read: 4 Ways divorce made me a better mom
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