A mum says she and her husband have the perfect blended family after they became best friends with her ex-partner and his new wife.
Ana Oosterhouse admits that when her ex-husband Luciano Salazar started dating new wife Anne, she felt slightly threatened by the thought of another woman stepping into the lives of her four daughters. However, when Anne became pregnant she realised she’d be around for good and decided to get to know her.
Now, the pair are best pals and enjoy weekly lunches, ‘mum trips’ and even celebrate holidays together such as Easter and Christmas.
Meanwhile, Ana’s husband Dylan and Luciano have also developed a strong friendship, going bowling every week and taking off on fishing trips.
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The two families compare their set up to that of Bruce Willis and Demi Moore - who have remained fast friends despite splitting up.
Ana, from Ogden in Utah, US, said: "Our situation is similar to Bruce Willis' in terms of having a blended family.
"Anne and I are best friends. I know that if I ever need anything from Anne or Luciano, I can call them and ask. The four of us are best friends.
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"At first it started out as trying to co-parent kids but over time we've learned that we actually enjoy being around each other and have fun.”
Ana and Luciano first met in July 2001 when they were just teens and spent nine years together.
They married in December 2005 and had four daughters together before separating in 2011.
Anne and Luciano met in 2011 and tied the knot in 2013 - they've since had a daughter.
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Ana also met husband Dylan in 2011 and they've since had two children together - bringing the total to seven kids between both families.
The mums say they spend weekends together, enjoy game nights and help their daughters get ready for school dances; while the two families are all together under one roof around three days a week.
They estimated 'they do 90 percent of things together', including celebrating birthdays and other special occasions.
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The two mums have even launched their own podcast, called Two4Seven, where they talk about their lives.
Ana said: "Basically our lives are completely blended at this point.
"One benefit is that I don't feel like I miss out on any time with my kids. I feel like I'm always involved in their lives because one way or another I see them every day.
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"When you're divorced and have to share kids it's really heart-breaking because in the beginning if I had an Easter and didn't even have any kids, it felt like I was missing something and now I don't feel that way because we do everything together.
"When we have family gatherings, they bond with all of us at the same time, they see a very healthy relationship between the four of us and know that no matter what, we're all going to pitch in and work together to make whatever needs to happen, happen.
"Overall, they know that no matter what the four of us are going to work together."
Claire Reid