Helena Bonham-Carter says her relationship wasn't mean to last

The relationship may be over, but that doesn't mean it was a failure

Helena Bonham-Carter's relationship with director Tim Burton was famously unconventional. The pair lived in separate but adjoining houses in London's Belsize Park and had two children together, Billy, 12 and Nell, 9, but never married.

So it's no surprise that HBC is taking a refreshing stance on their split, which was announced at the end of 2014,telling The Sunday Times '[if a relationship] isn’t forever, that doesn’t mean it’s a failure. The important thing is that you have to allow the other person to grow. And if they’re not going in the same direction, however heart-breaking, you have to do what is right for that growth. It’s hard to do something for ever because life is very short.'

Tim and Helena met in 2001 on the set of Planet of the Apes, and were together for 13 years. The pair have stayed in each other's lives since the separation, still choosing to live in the adjoining houses and continuing to work together. Which is lucky given how interwoven their careers have been over the last fifteen years - Tim and Helena's latest collab is on the latest Alice in Wonderland film, which is out on Friday.

Unlike some celebrities, Helena has been open about the grief that a serious split can cause, telling a UK publication, 'You go through massive grief – it is a death of a relationship, so it’s utterly bewildering. Your identity, everything, changes. Everyone always says you have to be strong and have a stiff upper lip, but it’s okay to be fragile'

The actress also went on to discuss how turning 50 has affected her relationship with herself, and her refusal to be panicked by it, saying 'You can get depressed about little bits, and feel like, “Oh God, a wrinkle!” But if you do that, you get a negative list in your head. The thing is, bits of you age at different speeds. I mean, my knees are incredibly old, they’re about 100, but there are other bits of me that are not so old.’

Helena Bonham-Carter... our new life idol.