Una Healy admits her public divorce from Ben Foden was “traumatic”.

The singer and former member of The Saturdays split from the rugby player in 2018 after six years of marriage.

On the Mamia and Me Podcast, she admitted that she had a difficult time during the divorce, saying: “I think it doesn’t matter if you’re in the public eye or not, if you’re going through a divorce, it’ll make it easier or harder , it’s exactly the same.

“And I have a lot of friends who have been through this too, and it’s just so traumatic, so traumatic.

“All I can say is that you have to be prepared that whoever has to go through this will get through it, but it takes a while. And then you just have to think: “Where am I now, how do I do this?”

The Tipperary native added: “You just have to manage it as best you can and accept it… It took me a while to get over feeling a bit bitter and a bit like ‘Oh, why am I.’ happens…and look at all this.’” Family units aren’t so lucky.

“Especially in Ireland because the divorce rate in the UK is 50 percent, but when you come back to Ireland no one is divorced and you feel like, ‘Is it just me?’

“So many of my friends were in the same boat in the UK, but not so many here.

“But I’ve really come to terms with it now and see how happy my children are. And they love Ireland and they love Thurles and it was the best decision I ever made to come back home. And I see myself staying here now.”

Una moved back to her hometown of Thurles during the pandemic after 13 years in the UK, taking her children Aoife, 11, and Tadhg, eight, with her.

She and Ben, who lives in New York with his new wife Jackie, are co-parenting their two children and she offered some advice for other divorcees.

“I would always recommend that everyone allow the other parent to see them as often as they want.

“Since he doesn’t live nearby, it can’t be every other weekend.

“Basically they spend half the summer with him and this year they were in New York for a month. And then they might see him again at Halloween, Christmas and holidays, so that’s how we do it. “But I always tell him that if you want to visit them, that they are here, or if you want to take them on vacation, do that too…

“As long as my children are loved, protected and happy, that’s all that matters.”

The 42-year-old said there were some benefits to splitting from her ex-husband and explained that Aoife and Tadhg could have some amazing experiences.

“They’re having a great time, they’ve been brought out, it’s like a dream. There are so many ups, I know there are a lot of downs too, but there are also a lot of ups and you know, not many kids can say that they spent a whole month in New York and had a great time with all the fun have sets.

“And they spend a lot of time there with their family; they also have a little sister and a stepmother there.

“That’s just our dynamic. Every family unit is different. This is all ours.”