Begin Again with Davina McCall - Begin Again Moments: Co-Parenting

Episode Date: June 27, 2026

In this heartfelt episode of Begin Again Moments, we bring together two powerful conversations about navigating separation with compassion, and putting children first. Fatboy Slim reflects on his divorce from Zoe Ball and how, despite the challenges of ending their marriage, they found a way to become even better parents. He shares why letting go of resentment, protecting their children from conflict, and embracing a new kind of friendship became their greatest achievement. Novelist Jojo Moyes then opens up about what she calls her "good divorce." She shares the lessons she learned about separating with kindness, why your children should never carry the weight of adult conflict, and the advice she believes everyone should hear before they get married. Together, these moments offer a hopeful perspective on co-parenting, showing that while relationships may end, the commitment to raising happy, secure children never has to. To hear the full conversations, watch the complete episodes on YouTube or listen wherever you get your podcasts. This episode is sponsored by Do-Health - Do Health - The waitlist is open. Begin Again listeners get fixed early access pricing when they sign up today at dohealth.co/beginagain use code BEGINAGAIN Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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You two have got such, like how brilliant to have such two great role models, but also not the norm, you know, you're both famous. Like that's quite a mad thing for kids. Yeah, I mean, well, that was quite a volatile thing how our children would turn out. And we were definitely living the life, you know, when we first had Woody, we was immersed in... What was life like for you, you both back then? Chaos.

Was it? Absolute chaos, yeah. Yeah, because I'd have this sort of thing of being a musician and everything. And then when I told my manager, he went, you do realize if you, like, if you, so are a couple, he said, your life is never going to be the same. And I said, what do you mean? He said, like, because at that point, I was sort of at the top of my power. I was at that point, she was doing the radio on one breakfast show and going mind. I mean, you were both mega.

And it's like, you put you two together. It's like, this is going to be, you know, and, you know, the whole tabloid thing, which I never really had before. I was just, I was only like band famous. I wasn't tabloid famous. And my manager said, he said, I don't know if it's going to be good or bad. He said, but your life was going to be. changes, you know. I remember watching it as an outsider and the amount of public scrutiny from the tabloids was, it was relentless. So she was kind of used to it and she talked me through

it. But it was, we were both partying a lot and all our friends were partying a lot. We all were, I mean, you know. But also working really hard. You know, for the first couple of years she was still doing the breakfast show and that, you know, we were being in clubs. people go, so, aren't you right? And we're like, two areas? Yeah, fine, yeah, yeah, yeah. But yeah, we knew a young you can do them. But we were, yeah, and then we were,

so we were juggling both having very successful careers that took up a lot of our time, but also partying a lot. But going through it together was great, because she's always a really good teacher. She was really good, she's really measured, and she's kept me really down to her. She's like, you don't, you know, don't forget to say thank you to them, you know, and don't forget, we had this tremendous,

us adventure together and kind of went to a place, went to a place probably that we never could have gone on her own. It was like our careers and our thing, some of the two parts when we became this sort of power couple. So she was, and still is, you know, we're still really good friends. And I think our triumph is to remain really good friends and parents, even though we're not a couple anymore. Can I just say, hats off?

Well done for that. Because that is quite a difficult one. It's hard. It's quite a difficult one, but luckily we've sort of found a way. It was a bit awkward at first. Then we've got this rhythm where we're now, I think we're really good. We probably actually better parents when we were a couple. But we're very proud of the two kids we brought up.

And I'm quite proud of the parents. And that we're as firm friends as we ever were. Sometimes, especially in midlife, you can get into a relationship and get a bit stuck and realise that you've slightly grown apart. but you're just kind of co-existing and people get stuck there because you're paying a price whatever you do. Or when their relationship

inevity breaks up you get acrimonious and then you start playing games at each other and bitterness and grudges and if that then starts rubbing off on your job as parents then for me that's you know that was the thing we just said is like whatever happens can't you know affect the kids

and everything has to be about them And that doesn't necessarily mean staying together for the kids. A lot of people just stay together. I mean, my parents lived at the opposite end of the house for the last few years of my life. And it, but yeah, I think it's so important. It's just getting over, you know, when you break up with someone there, you've been a couple. It's hard to readjust, but you just have to get over the petty bits and the things. And I've seen so many of my friends and they're just ripping each other.

and they're ripping the kids apart as well. And yeah, I think it's, you know, and you sign on to be parents, that's for life. Sign up for marriage, you can get divorced, but you can never stop being parents. I've partnered with Do Health for this episode, and I want to tell you why. 46% of Do Health members showed signs of hidden cardiovascular risk

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weekly plan with an in-app coach so you know what to do next. Not more worry, it's a way forward. Go to dohealth.com slash begin again and use code begin again to lock in early access pricing. How did you meet Charles? That work. Yeah. I was his boss, strictly speaking, because I became news editor in the late 1990s and he was the technology correspondent or science and technology and I just thought, oh, he's a good person, he's really smart. There was a huge round of redundancies going on. So it felt like every three months would be in the pub saying goodbye to a bunch of people. and then we kind of built our relationship from there

and everything changed, you know, as you know. It is a, even if it's done amicably, which mine was, it is such a dislocating thing to live through because it's a shift of your identity. Totally. And there is something to do with walking into a room and people knowing, even if he's not there, that you are a wife or a missus or, you know,

you are a partner to somebody, and then to go in by yourself is somehow really hard. And there's some people who find it very difficult that you've done this. And so I was sort of quite shocked by some people's reactions. That's always a funny thing, isn't it? Other people's reactions to your divorce is such a strange. Especially if you are a woman who works hard and is visibly successful because it's automatically down to you. It's your fault for not being more present or for not working harder. And the one thing I, all I can tell you is that I work hard at everything, relationships, you know, some things just end.

And, you know, nobody needs to know more than that. But I, you know, we discussed earlier on that you and I shared a divorce lawyer. One of my proudest possessions is the email she sent me after I got divorced. saying I wished all couples could handle it with the grace and kindness that you two showed each other. And my ex-husband is still my friend. And we speak every week and he has Christmas with us. So I would really like to just ask for your top, you know, it can be three, it can be four, it can be five, whatever. Bits of advice for anybody watching this who is getting divorced.

Yeah. Because you never hear that that couples. And it's it often it might start or we're going to be amicable and then it's not. And you've done it. Yeah. How did you do it? Okay. The very, very first thing is never marry a man you wouldn't want to be divorced from. Wait.

What? So are they a kind person? Do they treat people with respect? Do they talk badly about their exes? All these are key indicators of how that person is going to be about you once you're no longer. Can I say something? Go on.

You've literally blown my mind. I have never heard that. Don't marry a man that you wouldn't be prepared to be divorced. Or you wouldn't want to be divorced from. I don't mean that. You're not thinking about divorce. You're not thinking about divorce. It's like if you were in conflict with this person, how do you think they would be

hurt? Yes. That is the most because that is who they are at their core, right? Are they a good person? is what you're saying. Yes. And my ex-husband is a good person. That's amazing.

Okay. Oh, I love that. The second biggest one is just, it's actually not about you. It's about your kids. You've made a decision that is going to profoundly affect them. Even the best divorce is going to have a negative effect on them. And you have to acknowledge that. And so even when your ex, you might want to kind of stick pins in a dolly or, you know, you kick the wall or whatever, you don't do it.

front of the kids. They get none of it. Absolutely no of it. Get some therapy, get a best friend, punch a pillow, whatever. None of this is going to your kids because even if you are tight-lipped and polite about your ex, they will feel it. They will pick up on every vibration. So I would also say pick your battles. Like, does it really matter? I mean, I had dinner with Catherine Bedford, this divorce lawyer and she was telling me about how, you know, some people will literally bankrupt themselves over who gets the guinea pig. And you have to just say, does this really matter? Does it matter? And one of the other really important things was when we divided up the things in the house, although there were things that I loved that I let go of and we'd agreed that any

family heirlooms should stick with, you know, any pictures or, but I wanted to. the kids when they went into his house to see things they recognised and to feel like they were at home. I wanted them to be comfortable and I think he felt the same way. So we were generous with each other at every point. I mean that sounds very healthy. Yeah, I'm not going to say it was fun. No, of course, but you'd be still married if it was. Yes. You know what I mean? Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's not meant to be fun, but you did do it in a respectful way. And because he was a good man, we were able to talk honestly and at a point when some lawyers were advising me, you know, not to be honest with him.

I was honest with him and trusted that he was still essentially the person that I'd married 22 years earlier. And so it was. And so now we talk about stuff all the time and not just the kids. We'll still check in with each other. We buy each other birthday gifts.

He is part of my family. I'm not married to him anymore, but he's the father of my kids. I want them to be able to come to me if they've got concerns about something that's going on with him and not feel, oh God, can't talk about dad.

And, and yeah, he has been, yeah, he's someone who will always be in my life. And I never have any regrets about having married him because he gave me the three best kids in the world. And I'm not sure I would have had the career that I had without his, the way he was with me and my career, if I'm honest.