English singer-songwriter and actress Lily Allen has candidly acknowledged that her two daughters have significantly impacted her pop career as she prioritized them over her professional pursuits.
The 38-year-old artist, now a singer-turned-actress, emphasized the challenging choice women face between their children and career. In an interview with the Radio Times Podcast, she expressed how her love for her children and their importance in her life came at the cost of her pop stardom.
Allen dismissed the notion that one can “have it all,” asserting that such a belief is unrealistic. She shared her frustration with the expectation and emphasized that individuals make choices between career and family based on their prerogative. Reflecting on her childhood experiences with somewhat absent parents, she expressed a determination not to replicate any negative impact on her own children.
She said: ‘I was about two years sober, I’d just moved to New York.
‘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”.
‘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.’
Lily Allen’s father, actor Keith Allen, separated from her film producer mother, Alison Owen, when Lily was just four years old. Acknowledging her decision to step back and focus on her children, she expressed contentment in their well-rounded upbringing.
The “Smile” singer is a mother to two daughters, Ethel Mary (12) and Marnie Rose (10), from her previous marriage to builder Sam Cooper, 45. Currently residing in New York with her children and new husband, David Harbour, a star of “Stranger Things” whom she married in 2020, Lily has transitioned to acting in recent years.
