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Chris Tarrant
Chris Tarrant's ex-wife Ingrid has denied trying to turn the TV host's children against him.
While Chris's 16-year-old son Toby has agreed to join him for lunch at his home in Esher on Christmas Day, he will not see his daughter Sammy, 18, or 20-year-old stepdaughter Fia at all. Even Jennifer and Helen, the presenter's children from his first marriage, are believed to be spending more time with Ingrid than Chris over the holidays.
A source told the Daily Mail: "It's a terribly difficult situation and Chris is deeply saddened by it. He's abroad at the moment and will only be home for three days at Christmas before going away again. Staying busy is his way of dealing with it.
"But to this day he cannot accept the blame for this situation. He says it's Ingrid who has turned the kids against him. He completely despises her for it."
However, confronted by the allegations, Ingrid insisted: "The children are old enough to sort out their own arrangements and where they choose to spend Christmas is completely up to them.
"I would never do anything to stand in their way. I'm not a bitter woman - I'm not like that at all. Even if they were toddlers I wouldn't do anything to come between them and their father. That would be a dreadful thing to do."
The Tarrants were granted a divorce in February. They split after Chris's affair with schoolteacher Fiona McKechnie was exposed by the press.
