Madeleine West spotted kissing former partner Shannon Bennett in Byron Bay

JUST a month after announcing they’d split, Madeleine West and her celebrity chef ex have been spotted in an intimate moment in Byron Bay.

FORMER Neighbours star Madeleine West has been photographed kissing former partner Shannon Bennett, just weeks after announcing the end of their 13-year relationship.

West, 38, and the 42-year-old celebrity chef were captured in an intimate moment during a family holiday with their six children in Byron Bay on September 28.

Bringing new meaning to the term “friendly exes”. Picture: Diimex

The Playing For Keeps actress looked happy and relaxed as she leaned in for a kiss before getting into a car and driving away.

OK, but also who’s the other guy watching on? Picture: Diimex

They parted after a lingering kiss. Picture: Diimex

The actress was later seen wheeling a suitcase through Ballina Airport. Picture: Diimex

Earlier this week, Woman’s Day reported that Bennett was “desperate for a reconciliation” with West.

“Shannon is willing to do whatever it takes to woo her back,” a source told the publication, adding that the Byron Bay holiday was “make or break” for the former couple, who began dating in 2005.

West confirmed the split in Stellar magazine in September, admitting that raising such a large family had put a strain on their romance.

“Having a public profile, having two high-pressure careers, having a multitude of children — and I will say they are a lot harder to train than dragons — it puts exponential pressures on a relationship, and cracks can form, and things that we don’t necessarily plan in the beginning can happen,” she said.

She also spoke out about going through a “bad time” in an interview with The Project last month, after Carrie Bickmore asked how she was coping with the breakdown of her relationship.

“I think the key to going through any kind of adversity in life, especially when you’re in the public eye, is always practise gratitude, kindness, respect and love for the people in your inner circle and the public at large,” West said.

“Because at the end of the day, I think everyone has everyone’s best interests at heart and curiosity comes from compassion.

“And respecting that, and saying, ‘Yeah, I am going through a bad time, and if you wouldn’t mind extending a bit of privacy, then I’ll still do my very best, because I still want to be an actor and I still want to tell my stories’.”

West added: “I’ve only had lots and lots of support from everyone.”