Carrie Bickmore and Chris Walker 'had been working on their relationship for ... trends now Carrie Bickmore and Chris Walker's relationship was in trouble long before they called it quits, sources claim. Bickmore, 42, shocked fans on Tuesday by announcing the couple's split via Instagram, but a New Idea insider says the pair 'had been working on their relationship for some time' before things 'fell apart' during their family sabbatical in Europe. In April last year, Carrie and Chris temporarily relocated to the UK for three-month sabbatical with their children Ollie, 15, Evie, seven, and Adelaide, four. Carrie Bickmore and Chris Walker 'had been working on their relationship for some time' before things fell apart on their 'make-or-break' family holiday in Europe, an insider claims. The couple are pictured together in happier times 'I think taking their family to the UK last year was an effort to mend things,' said the spy, who described the getaway as a 'bandaid solution' to their relationship woes. Couples who are on the brink of separation are often encouraged by experts to embark on a final holiday together as a means of rekindling the romance. However, while some relationships benefit from the escapism, others dwindle more quickly, partly because the closeness and romance of a holiday may feel forced. In April last year, Carrie and Chris temporarily relocated to the UK for three-month sabbatical with their children Ollie, 15, Evie, seven, and Adelaide, four (all pictured) Announcing her trip on The Project at the time, Carrie explained: 'Chris and I and the kids are heading off on a family adventure together.' 'We've been wanting to do it for a while but for lots of reasons the timing hasn't been right, but we figure it's never going to be the perfect time to go. 'It's something we really want to do before my son starts his final years at school so we're doing term two in the UK. So I will be off for a couple of months.' 'I think taking their family to the UK last year was an effort to mend things,' said a New Idea magazine source, who described the getaway as a 'bandaid solution' to their relationship woes The radio star also said she'd been inspired by The Project panellist Kate Langbroek, who spent two years living in Bologna, Italy, with her husband and children. Carrie returned to The Project in July with very little fanfare and largely kept mum about her trip. She joked she had come home with an English accent after living there for a few months and said she'd had a 'great time' - but little else. Announcing her trip on The Project at the time, Carrie explained: 'Chris and I and the kids are heading off on a family adventure together' Carrie announced the couple's split in an Instagram post on Wednesday morning, saying the pair was focused on co-parenting their three children. The couple were in a relationship for 11 years. 'It's with immense sadness that Chris and I have decided to separate,' she wrote. 'While this is a tough time, our focus is on parenting, loving and supporting our three children Ollie, Evie and Addie with everything that we've got. Couples who are on the brink of separation are often encouraged by experts to embark on a final holiday together as a means of rekindling the romance 'They are doing great, We won't be making any further comment.' Carrie and Chris' love story captured the hearts of Australians. They met as colleagues on The Project - she was a presenter and he was a producer - and they began dating in late 2012, two years after she lost her husband Greg Lange, the father of her eldest child Ollie, 15, to brain cancer. Despite his terminal diagnosis, Bickmore had married Lange in 2005 when she was just 25 years old. After Lange died in 2010 at the age of 35, a widowed Carrie started the charity Bickmore's Beanies for Brain Cancer in his memory. Two years later and Carrie had found love again with Walker, who became a stepdad to Oliver, and with whom she later had two daughters: Evie, born in 2015, and Adelaide, born in 2018. The TV presenter announced their split in an Instagram post on Wednesday, saying the pair was focused on co-parenting their three children All rights reserved for this news site (dailymail) and under his responsibility