32-year-old Katie Blackmer and her husband Stephen Shepard split a long time ago but they are now living together again with their three kids, along with Katie’s new husband Ben, Stephen’s girlfriend Brandy Henderson, their two kids amid lockdown.

Katie has explained what it’s like to live with her ex-husband and his new girlfriend and their kids.

Katie, Stephen, their three kids, Katie’s new husband Ben, Stephen’s girlfriend Brandy Henderson, and their two kids are all living together in Tennessee for the past few weeks amid lockdown.

Katie and Stephen’s three kids – Gracelyn, 12, Kaylynn, 11, and Colston, six, and Stephen and Brandy’s two kids – Kayleigh, 11, and Jaxson, nine, sometimes fight as they have become frustrated with staying at home all the time but they all are trying to make it work.

She said: “I suppose for most people, the thought of living with their ex-husband would fill them with horror, but for me and Stephen it has made perfect sense.”

Katie and Stephen met when they were 18. In 2007, they got married and went on to have three kids.

In 2015, the couple split up and started seeing other people.

Katie said: “We were both so bitter that we would make it hard for each other to start a new life. It wasn’t right but we couldn’t stop making each other lives so miserable.”

Katie then started dating Ben Blackmer, who was Stephen’s friend, and it made their relationship worse.

In 2016, she got married to Ben.

Stephen and his brother Michael had a car accident in 2017. Michael died but Stephen survived.

He had no one to look after him at the time so Katie and Ben asked him to live with them in their house.

Stephen wanted to be with his kids so he agreed.

Katie said: “Having Stephen at home was a challenge – it was like having a 200lb toddler. We had to help him to walk, to eat and to bathe while he re-learned many life skills.”

“Yet with the support of us all, everything started to come back. And he never went home again.”

In December 2017, Stephen and Brandy Henderson, who is Katie’s friend from high school, started dating.

That’s when they all decided to move in together and share the bills. Since then, they have been living together.

Katie said: “Now the three girls share a room, Hunter had his own room when he lived with us and the two little boys share a room. We split all the bills 50-50 including the mortgage, food and household essentials.”

She says it’s challenging to live together amid lockdown as they have to ration the toilet paper and the kids fight a lot but they are managing it.

Katie said: “And while it has been mental in our house at times, we are so fortunate to have each other to fight with!”

 

 

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