A mum has struck up an unlikely friendship with her ex-husband’s new partner, with the pair even going away on holiday together.
Leigh Wright divorced her ex-husband Thomas Wright in 2013 after seven years together and seven months married.
Just two months later, Thomas, 39, was in a new relationship with hairdresser Kristina Ord, 35 – a woman his ex-wife had known since secondary school.
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Leigh, 37, said she “hated” the new partnership as she was still in love with Thomas.
As a result, she didn’t introduce her sons Fraser, 17, Freddie, 15 and Fletcher, 14, to her for three years.
Client partner Thomas and hairdresser Kristina have now been together for 13 years and share two daughters, Nina, three, and Iris, one.
Miraculously, the passing of time has also seen the two women become best friends – and Leigh says she hopes the couple wed so she can be their maid of honour.
Thomas has even paid for Kristina and Leigh to go to Bucharest in the summer on a girls’ trip.
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“Thomas and I had a good relationship, but we were very young and caught up with the children,” Leigh, from Colchester, Essex, told What’s the Jam.
“The relationship broke down as soon as we were married.
“Thomas wanted to leave, so it took a long time for me to get over it because I got married thinking we’d be together forever.
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“He was with Kristina two months later – and I hated it.
“I didn’t want her to be a part of the children’s lives because I was holding on to a lot of love for Thomas.
“We have children so I couldn’t cut him off.
“It took me 18 months to get over him and I made sure that Kristina being introduced to the kids was a slow process.”
She went on: “I’ve known Kristina since secondary school.
“We had a to [stay apart for] a few months after they got together, because I was disgusted that she’d want it to happen with Thomas when we had children.
“But once the love for Thomas had gone, I was able to communicate with her properly.”
Kristina said: “When I first me Thomas, things were still very raw for them both and they were navigating adjustments.
“I took a distant approach and let things happen naturally.
“We were very much guided by Leigh and whats he was comfortable with.
“Once time went on and Thomas and I moved in together, the boys would stay with us alternate weekends but I didn’t want to force a relationship.
“I let the boys have alone time with their dad.
“I respect how much Thomas loves his boys and wanted to be there for them.
“He was keep to have a good relationship with their mum.
“Family means a lot to Thomas.
“I never wanted to replace anyone so I was happy to take my time.
“I never really saw my dad growing up and I knew how it affected me so I always wanted to be supportive on how Thomas could navigate having the best relationship with his sons.”
Thomas added: “Introducing Kristina to the kids was a massive worry for me.
“Leigh and I were separated, but things were still very raw and we were just beginning to learn how to co-parent from different houses.
“Leigh was naturally very protective of the boys, and they were young and so close to their Mum.
“I was terrified they’d reject Kristina or feel like she was replacing Leigh.
“I actually expected them to be underwhelmed or even upset, but it was the complete opposite, they took to her almost immediately.
“That was a huge relief and really helped us move forward.
“But even with the kids being great, the adults still had to navigate all the typical raw feelings and tough situations you get with a fresh separation.
“It wasn’t easy, and there were plenty of difficult days early on.
“Kristina had a way of staying calm when everything else felt chaotic.
“Even though Leigh and I were separated, the situation was complicated by the fact that Leigh’s sister and Kristina were old school friends.
“There was no hiding from the history.
“What I loved about her and what really made me realise she was the one was how she pushed me to have a better relationship with Leigh.
“Even though she was new to parenting and the whole dynamic was hard on her, she understood that for the boys to be happy, their mum and dad needed to be on good terms.
“She actually helped me navigate those early conversations with Leigh instead of making it ‘us vs. her.’
“She saw the long-term goal before I did.
“She’s always been about building the family up, not tearing it apart.”
The ladies got then started getting closer when Thomas was unable to go on a family holiday two years ago.
He asked his ex-wife to take his place so the children wouldn’t miss out.
Attendance officer Leigh travelled to Turkey with Kristina, her mother, Kristina’s daughter Nina, and her own sons.
Leigh said: “Kristina had a difficult birth with Nina, and Thomas struggled with it.
“We sat on a sun lounger for a week and talked about everything.
“Nothing was off limits and I was surprised at how well we got on.
“We’re very similar. And from then, we’ve been best friends.
“Everything was forgotten and we just moved on.”
Kristina added: “On holiday, me and Leigh had the best time and spoke about everything.
“We realised we were similar in many ways.
“Leigh is definitely my best friend.
“She’s the go to person, she helps me with childcare and she’s part of my village.
“We have the best time together with or without the kids.”
Thomas added: “We’ve gone from that high-stress start to being a totally solid unit.
“It’s been 13 years of work to get here.
“Now, we operate as one big family.
“The labels of ‘ex’ or ‘step’ don’t really matter anymore, we’re just a team.”
The blended family now plan to go on a holiday together.
And when Thomas and Kristina go on a romantic weekend away later this year, Leigh will move into their home to take care of Nina and Iris.
Leigh, who is single, explained: “People think it’s strange that we get on as well as we do and hang out like we do.
“We went to an adult pantomime, just me and her recently, and we go out for drinks together.
“We hang out together as a family. I’m always round theirs.
“I help put the girls to bed. I love the girls so much.
“It’s so important for the kids to see us getting on.
“The boys want me to move closer to Thomas and Kristina.
“They love us all being together.
“It’s not awkward because I don’t have any love for their dad.”
Leigh admits she believes Kristina and Thomas are a better match.
She added: “Kristina is his person. She’s got the patience of a saint.
“He still does thing that wind me up and it doesn’t bother her.
“We know it’s a very unique situation, but we didn’t want adult problems on children’s shoulders.
“Lots of parents vent to their children but its not for their ears.
“I hope Kristina and Thomas get married one day so I can be maid of honour.”
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