celebrity

Lily Allen hasn’t made music for 6 years. She claims her kids 'ruined' her career.

It's often said that having kids is "career suicide", yet few people will admit to the impact children have had on their jobs.

British popstar Lily Allen on the other hand, is opening up about motherhood, saying she's proof that women "can't have it all" when it comes to juggling a career and a family.

Watch: Lily Allen talks about her journey to becoming comfortable about her sexuality. Post continues below.


Video via Womanizer.

The singer, who was one of the biggest stars of the late 2000s, hasn't released an album since 2018, admitting that her kids are the reason for her hiatus.

"My children ruined my career. I love them and they complete me, but in terms of pop-stardom, they totally ruined it," she told the Radio Times Podcast. "I get really annoyed when people say you can have it all because, quite frankly, you can’t."

ADVERTISEMENT

Allen shares two daughters Ethel Mary, 12, and Marnie Rose, 10, with her ex-husband, Sam Cooper.

"Some people choose their career over their children and that’s their prerogative, but my parents were quite absent when I was a kid. I feel like it left some nasty scars that I’m not willing to repeat on mine."

Fast forward to the present, Allen lives with Stranger Things star David Harbour and her two children in New York.

ADVERTISEMENT

Later in the interview, she spoke candidly about her decision to embrace sobriety.

"I was about two years sober, I’d just moved to New York," she said. "A big part of sobriety is surrendering and letting God—in whatever way you want to believe in that—have a plan for you."

"I got a call from a casting director who was putting on a play [2:22 A Ghost Story] in the West End. I said: 'No, I’m not an actress'."

She continued: "But then I was talking to David—I’d been feeling a bit directionless and didn’t really know what I was doing with my life, except for being a mum and setting up a new home in Brooklyn. He said, 'maybe you should call them back' and five weeks later I was in rehearsal."

Allen's pivot into acting proved to be exactly what she needed, with her performance in 2:22 A Ghost Story scoring her a Best Actress Olivier Award nomination in 2022.

Did having kids impact your career? Let us know in the comments below!

Feature Image: Getty/Instagram @lilyallen.

Are you a parent or influencer of kids aged under 18 years? Take our survey for your chance to win one of four $50 gift vouchers!
00:00 / ???