Reality star mum with 50/50 custody hits back after being accused of partying when kids are with dad

The Bachelor's Tara Pavlovic has hit back after she was accused of ignoring her parental duties in favour of partying.

The mother-of-two, who has a 50/50 custody agreement in place for the children she shares with her ex-husband Nick, was recently slammed online after sharing a clip showcasing some of the fun activities she takes part in while her ex has the kids.

Tara ruffled the feathers of some followers after she revealed she will be attending a host of big-name rock concerts in the coming months, including Foo Fighters, Dom Dolla and Jimmy Eat World.

'Doesn't seem to mind her free time dating and partying. So yep, maybe could have tried harder to make the marriage work,' one person sniped in the comments.

However, Tara was having none of it and quickly hit back in a fiery clip in which she claimed she was allowed to spend her spare time how she wished - and that people shouldn't be so quick to judge.

'I could sit at home and mourn the life I thought I'd have... or I could go out and live the one I actually have,' Tara began.

'I read so many interesting comments about me. Judgements about me choosing to leave a marriage. Like, I seem "fine", "how upset can she be?", "how much can she miss her kids?"... People say I'm going on dates, I'm clearly fine.' 

Tara added the reason she seemed 'fine' is that she had prioritised self-care and was working hard on being the best she could be, as she juggled custody of her children Paddy, four, and Edi-Rae, three, with her ex-husband.

'Me being fine is a choice I have made. I could 100 per cent choose to dwell on everything, sit here and cry... there are days I do that! I can choose to cry and dwell on things or to pull myself out and go to something positive,' she said. 

'I'm the type of person that makes every f***ing situation more positive! For this separation, I could be sitting here bawling my eyes out, going why is it happening to me... But I'm not going to do that, I am going to go to a concert and live my life as best I can with the cards I have been dealt.'

One of Tara's reality TV friends took to the comments section to offer her words of support.

'You think it's "selfish" to be single. It's selfish to stay in an unhealthy relationship that your kids are witnessing, that teaches them this is the norm,' wrote fellow Bachelor star Belinda Love.

Tara announced her split from her husband in April, later saying it was the 'last resort' after a year of struggling in the relationship.

'I know there's been a lot of speculation about what's been going on in my life lately, so I wanted to share this in my own words. Nick and I have separated,' she wrote.

Tara and Nick tied the knot in an intimate ceremony in September 2020, after being forced to postpone their wedding due to the pandemic.

The former couple went public with their romance in August 2018, just two months after reports Tara had separated from her Bachelor In Paradise fiancé Sam Cochrane.

The pair had known each other for 10 years before exploring a relationship together in 2018.

Tara rose to fame on Matty 'J' Johnson's season of The Bachelor in 2017.