Kate Beckinsale and Michael Sheen were together for eight years, calling time on their relationship in 2003.

However they are, to this day, still very good friends – and a lot of that has to do with their 17-year-old daughter, Lily.

“I think we both really felt like, we really agreed on what would be the right thing for Lily. And I think, you know, not hating each other and fighting and all that would be awful for her,” she told Entertainment Tonight.

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However, while plenty of exes have been civil to one another for the sake of their children, Beckinsale and Sheen still see one another as “proper family” – so much so that she is spending Christmas with her ex and his girlfriend, US comedian Sarah Silverman.

“Well, we had Thanksgiving at his girlfriend's house and they're having Christmas at our house.

“We like hanging out with each other, so it's not like, ‘Oh, who gets Lily?’ or whatever. It's like, ‘Whose house are we going to be at?’”

She also has an extra-special #girlpower reason for wanting Silverman there with her daughter for those big life events.

Speaking in a separate interview with ES Magazine, the 43-year-old piled praise on Silverman, whom Sheen has been dating for over two years, and thanked her for providing their daughter with yet another strong female role model.

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“I really love his girlfriend as well, and we are really lucky that we both get on, and Lily gets on great with her,” said Beckinsale.

“Having as many strong females in your teenage daughter’s life as possible is a good thing.”

Sheen himself has also spoken out about his ex’s relationship with his new partner, telling Netflix’s Chelsea Handler that “it helps that she actually likes Sarah more than she likes me”.

He added: “The only way it doesn't work out is that now I have not only Sarah, but also Kate and my daughter Lily, who all just make fun of me and embarrass me at any given point.”

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And, for those wondering how Silverman feels about the arrangement, she’s absolutely on board, too.

“[Sheen] and Kate are like brother and sister,” she said, when quizzed about her partner’s relationship with his ex. “I love her, she’s hilarious. She’s really, really cool.”

These guys have definitely got that co-parenting thing nailed, haven’t they?

Images: Rex pictures