He is the charming British actor known for playing Call the Midwife favourite Reverend Tom Hereward. And now, Jack Ashton has opened up about how he balances parenting his adorable daughters, Ivy, eight, and Wren, three - whom he shares with his ex-partner and fellow co-star Helen George - as he takes on his latest role.
The Bristol-born actor, 39, opened up about co-parenting his little girls in an exclusive interview with HELLO!, while discussing his upcoming leading role as James Wormold in the UK tour of Our Man in Havana, which kicks off on Wednesday.
"The thing is [theatre] can be perfect," he explains. "Especially when your play is up, because you can still do the school runs. And then go to work in the evenings, but touring is trickier because and and this one's, this one works. Because it's touring through the summer, and they won't be at school, so we're less confined by the nine till three."
© GettyJack continues: "So, for instance, they're gonna spend a lot of their summer with their mum and me in various theatres throughout the country. She's on tour as well. I'm hoping that they do seem to enjoy hanging around backstage, and they help out, and they help the stage managers. Hopefully, it will be nice memories for them."
Jack and Helen's golden rule
While it may seem hard to understand how Jack and Helen - who ended their seven-year relationship in 2023 - manage co-parenting with their thriving careers in the acting industry, the actor explains they have a rule between them about accepting theatre work, that being, every other job has to be based near home.
"I won't be going on tour for a little bit; that's basically the rule. After a play or after a tour, the next will be something that allows me to be at home and then travel from home."
Jack emphasised that their girls are at the centre of any career decision either he or Helen makes. "Every decision has to be weighed up. If it's going to cause too much stress, then you have to say no, because at the end of the day the kids, the kids come first.
Balancing work and parenting
Elaborating on how they manage their busy schedules and prioritising their children, Jack said that the world of theatre has become more inclusive. "Helen and I co-parent; we both do it, as in we both work in the industry, for the girls, it's feast or famine when you're working; it's full on. But there are periods in between jobs, and they get a lot of you; you're there, you're there for everything, and that's great. So I think that that can hope that hopefully helps with the with the times you're not there, and so because we both do it.
"You know, hopefully they'll be with one of us, you know, so like, you know, if we can time it, you know, so that one of us is working and one of us isn't, which is, you know, that's just luck, that helps, you know, but, it isn't easy. But I think the industry is changing quite a bit, you know, people are a bit more, I've noticed it in theatre. They are a lot more accommodating. It's Wren's sports day on Friday, andI've got the day off for it because I missed it last year because I was touring last year but in the past that may not have been the case."
Being the ultimate 'girl dad'
If one thing is for sure, it's that Jack's role as a father is the most important. "[Being a dad] it's been the best thing that's ever happened to me. I don't wanna be too cliché, but before kids, most days you're thinking: 'What have I got to do, what do I need to achieve? What's, what's on my agenda? And then you have children, and your agenda is firmly out the window, and their agenda is, is the most important thing and then once they're sorted, you can then think about your agenda," he explains.
"It helps you to grow as a human being, and I love being a dad. I can't tell you how much I enjoy it. Of course, it's exhausting sometimes or whatever, but I just, I just love nurturing two little people and trying my best to, you know, give them everything, and that's including the things that I wish I had, you know."
