Helena Bonham Carter and Tim Burton split in December 2014 after being together for 13 years, and they've surprisingly been able to stay on good terms.
When they decided to break up, Carter's rep made the official announcement to People, so this is the first time the 49-year-old actress is opening up about what happened between the two.
"I could write a thesis on what's happened and it is all-absorbing when a relationship breaks down, but I think we're coming through it," she said in the latest issue of Red Magazine. "I think we'll have something very precious still. Our relationship was always somewhat special, and I think it'll always remain special. We did find each other. And really, the mark of a successful relationship shouldn't be whether you're there forever after. Sometimes you're not meant to be forever together."
She and the 57-year-old director, who is responsible for some of the most creative films in the world like "Nightmare Before Christmas," "Beetlejuice" and "Alice in Wonderland," have two children together, although they never married, according to People. Carter often played roles in his films and the two worked well together. When they split, they decided it was best to remain friends and co-parent their 12-year-old son Billy and 7-year-old daughter Nell.
"Sometimes you have to come to terms with the fact that that was it," Carter continued. "But that was a gift, a massive gift. We gave each other children and a lot more else." She also made sure to clear up the rumors that the two never lived together. "We did, by the way," she explained. "Because everyone seemed to think we didn't, but that was a load of myth."
