David Arquette took his daughter Coco to the beach to explain his marriage problems.

The actor and his wife Courteney Cox-Arquette - who announced on Monday that they had embarked on a trial separation “some time” ago - wanted to be honest with six-year-old Coco about their split so went for a picnic to discuss the situation.

“We went to a beach and had a picnic. I explained to her that we’re grown-ups, and a lot of the time when grown-ups are growing up, they need to figure out their lives. Sometimes that takes each other having a little space,” he explained in an interview with Howard Stern.

Arquette then had to reassure the youngster the separation was not necessarily forever. “She said, ‘Are you guys getting a divorce?’ I said, ‘No, We’re not getting a divorce, we’re just taking some time apart to get to know ourselves better and get to know what we want better.’”