Lily Allen: Having kids ‘totally ruined’ my music career

It’s “Hard Out Here.”

Lily Allen candidly admitted she believes having children put the kibosh on her success as a singer.

“My children ruined my career,” she said with a laugh on the “Radio Times Podcast” Tuesday.

The “Smile” singer has two daughters with ex-husband Sam Cooper. Bertrand Rindoff Petroff Ethel is 12, and Marnie is 11. PA Images via Getty Images

“I mean, I love them, and they complete me, but in terms of, like, you know, pop stardom, totally ruined it.”

Allen, 38, shares two daughters, Ethel, 12, and Marnie, 11, with her ex-husband, Sam Cooper, to whom she was married from 2011 to 2018.

“It really annoys me when people say you can have it all because, quite frankly, you can’t,” she explained.

Allen released two multi-platinum-selling albums before becoming a mother in 2011. Redferns She last dropped a record in 2018. Getty Images

“Some people choose their career over their children, and that’s their prerogative. But, you know, my parents were quite absent when I was a kid, and I feel like that really left some, like, nasty scars that I’m not willing to, you know, repeat on mine. And so I 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.”

---

For more Page Six you love…

Listen to our weekly “We Hear” podcast Shop our exclusive merch

---

Allen rose to fame at the age of 21 with her hit single “Smile.” She released two multi-platinum-selling albums, 2006’s “Alright, Still,” and 2009’s “It’s Not Me, It’s You,” before becoming a mother in 2011.

After having her second child in 2013, Allen dropped two more records, 2014’s “Sheezus” and 2018’s “No Shame,” neither of which were commercial successes.

The Grammy nominee wed “Stranger Things” star David Harbour in 2020. Instagram Harbour appears to have a close relationship with his stepdaughters. Instagram

The Grammy nominee said in 2019 that she was working on her fifth album, but she appears to have since shifted her focus to acting.

She has starred in two West End plays, 2021’s “2:22 A Ghost Story” and 2023’s “The Pillowman,” in addition to the 2019 film “How to Build a Girl” and 2023 TV series “Dreamland.”

Allen wed “Stranger Things” star David Harbour in 2020.