Lily Allen says her children 'ruined my career' as a singer, but she's 'glad'

Lily Allen is getting candid about the effects of having kids on her pop career.

"My children ruined my career," Allen, 38, said with a laugh while appearing on a "Radio Times" podcast episode released Tuesday. "I love them and they complete me, but in terms of pop stardom, totally ruined it."

She added: "It really annoys me when people say you can have it all because, quite frankly, you can't."

The "Smile" singer shares daughters Ethel Mary, 12, and Marnie Rose, 11, with her ex-husband Sam Cooper. She is currently married to "Stranger Things" actor David Harbour.

"Some people choose their career over their children, and that's their prerogative," Allen said on the podcast. "But my parents were quite absent when I was a kid, and I feel like that really left some nasty scars that I'm not willing to repeat on mine."

As a result of her upbringing, she said she "chose stepping back and concentrating on them, and I'm glad that I have done that because I think they're pretty well-rounded people."

Plenty of actresses in Hollywood have discussed the pressures of having children while working in the industry or deciding to delay family planning as a result.

In 2021, Megan Fox shared her experiences raising children while working in the entertainment industry on an episode of "The Kelly Clarkson Show," saying there is "weird pressure" and stress associated with acting and being a mom. 

"Hollywood is not adapted to women and us actually having lives and being moms," she told Clarkson. 

The "Transformers" actress shares three sons with her ex-husband actor Brian Austin Green: Noah, 10, Bodhi, 9, and Journey, 6. She said the entertainment industry can be tough before and after having a child. 

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"As an actor it's just very unforgiving because you can't be on camera once you're past a certain stage of pregnancy," she said. "Once you have the baby its like 'OK, well you're going to have to leave to nurse every two hours and that costs us money and insurance.'"

People also questioned whether Fox's decision to have children meant that she was quitting her career as an actress, which prompted her to quickly return to work out of fear that she would lose opportunities.

"There is that thing in this industry of like 'Are you giving up? Are you just a mom now?'" Fox said. "There's this weird pressure which also then creates guilt. You go to work too soon to satisfy those people."

Contributing: Elise Brisco

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