In this article Partner Cara Nuttall, who specialises in Children and Modern Families law, looks at Gigi Hadid’s recent interview comments on co-parenting, and alternatives to court proceedings.

Positive co-parenting in the press

In an age where celebrity break-ups are headline news and tabloid “fodder” it is often the sensationalist separations that are portrayed over the positive examples of life as a separated family. 

This week, many news outlets have covered Gigi Hadid’s recent interview in which she offered a rare insight into her life co-parenting with ex-partner, Zayn Malik, following their separation in late 2021 when their daughter was only around a year old.

At the time, the separation had all the hallmarks of a contentious separation and arguments over arrangements, as Malik was accused of a physical altercation with Gigi’s mother (something he always denied).

However Gigi’s recent interview demonstrates how it is possible to move on and create a positive co-parenting relationship, following a difficult separation. 

Within her comments, Gigi is reported as speaking in positive terms about the importance of her daughter having a strong and positive relationship with her father. She also references how she manages to organise her work whilst her daughter is with Zayn, and the benefits of her daughter displaying her shared UK/US heritage within her likes and characteristics. 

As part of discussing the benefits of constructive co-parenting, Gigi is reported as noting the crucial importance of keeping your child’s happiness “at the forefront” and remembering that “you have a long life alongside this person,” comments that, as someone involved in children disputes daily, I would not hesitate to echo.

Are there alternatives to legal action?

Gigi and Zayn are proof that even a difficult separation can still allow for a constructive co-parenting arrangement after separation. 

Court can be an extremely damaging and destructive process, and it is always worth looking at whether an alternative way of resolving initial disagreements may be better, such as mediation, family therapy or counselling. 

Although legal advice can be a useful tool in understanding options and the legal framework in which any agreement will work, legal proceedings are not always the answer to an emotionally difficult situation. Especially where trust and communication lies at the heart of a successful future.

Parenting Plans can be a good alternative to court orders in the right circumstances, and there are a variety of communication “apps” to help parents communicate effectively and frequently about their child or children even if the relationship is still strained, or boundaries need to be enforced.

There will always be cases where what has happened during or at the end of a relationship mean such an approach is not suitable or safe.

However, it is worth remembering from an early stage that there is a distinction between the parents as a couple, and as parents, and that there can often be a long shared road ahead.

This can help you take stock about what will matter tomorrow, next year or long into the future, just as much as what matters most in the immediate aftermath of a painful split.