'Thankful for the relationship we now have!' Alex Nation says she's on good terms with ex-husband Joel Porter and are focused on co-parenting son Elijah as they catch up at a restaurant By Kristy Johnson For Daily Mail Australia Published: 06:50 BST, 20 June 2019 | Updated: 06:50 BST, 20 June 2019 Viewcomments She previously confessed that things haven't always been good between herself and ex-husband Joel Porter. Back in 2016, unconfirmed rumours suggested the former couple, who briefly married after she gave birth to Elijah in 2011, were far from amicable. However in an Instagram post on Thursday that saw the pair dining at a restaurant, the 27-year-old reality star revealed that the pair are now on good terms. Good terms: Alex Nation, 27, revealed to Instagram on Thursday that she's now on good terms with ex-husband Joel Porter, and are focused on co-parenting son Elijah, eight 'There was a time where this fella and I couldn't sit across from each other without having a heated discussion,' Alex admitted to her Instagram fans. 'We both had a lot of growing to do and we needed to work on a few things,' she continued. 'I am so thankful for Joel and the relationship we now have.' Alex revealed that the former couple are able to now co-parent effectively, but like most families, experience challenges. 'How special it is that Elijah has two parents that love him so much, they are willing to work hard to co-parent and have a great, healthy friendship with each other,' she said. Amicable: The former Bachelor star shared a photo to Instagram of Joel seated at the opposite end of a dining table, and beaming for the camera 'To be real, it can be really f**king hard and it does take work and we are continually working at this. You're an awesome EX husband and an even more awesome Dad.' The caption ran alongside a photo of Joel seated at a table in a restaurant, with a glass of red wine in hand, and beaming for the camera. In an interview with Daily Mail Australia in November 2016, Alex confessed that things have not always been 'good' between herself and Joel. Alex and Joel attempted to do the right thing by their son in the early stages of their relationship - but things quickly turned sour. 'We got married, we wanted to do everything right for our son but it ended up not being right for us as individuals,' she explained. Co-parenting: Alex told her fans that the former couple now have a 'great, healthy friendship with each other' as they focus on raising their son 'There was a battle where we were asking ourselves, "Do you stick it out and not be with the one who is your soul mate?" 'There was a strain on us individually because you feel guilty for your child that you are separating,' she continued. The winner of The Bachelor 2016 claimed she and Joel felt more 'heartbroken' for their son when their relationship ended. 'It was tough. It wasn't hard so much on Elijah because he wasn't two yet. He didn't know and was none-the-wiser to what was going on. 'But it was more heartbreaking for Joel and I because of course we wanted to do everything right.' Alex added: 'In an ideal world, you want your child to grow up with an intact family, but two really happy and loving homes is better than one unhappy home.' The ex: Back in 2016, rumours suggested the pair were feuding. In the same year, Alex starred on The Bachelor alongside Richie Strahan (pictured). The couple eventually parted ways Share or comment on this article: All rights reserved for this news site dailymail and under his responsibility