The celebs who opened up about choosing motherhood over their careers

Lily Allen has sparked the age-old question on whether women can in fact ‘have it all’ – both a successful career and a perfect family life.

The British singer-turned-actress, 38, has admitted her two daughters Ethel Mary, 12, and Marnie Rose, 10, have ‘totally ruined’ her pop career because she chose to prioritise them instead of work.

Insisting ‘you can’t have it all’, she told the Radio Times Podcast: ‘My children ruined my career. I love them and they complete me, but in terms of pop-stardom, they totally ruined it.

Lily, whose parents are actor Keith Allen, 70, and film producer Alison Owen, 63, added: ‘I get really annoyed when people say you can have it all because, quite frankly, you can’t.

‘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.’

The former popstar’s not the only celebrity who has revealed how they’ve decided to put children first before their career. Here, FEMAIL takes a look at the other famous faces who admit ‘you can’t have it all’… 

SERENA WILLIAMS 

Serena Williams said an emotional goodbye to tennis at the US Open in August 2022 to concentrate on her family life. 

She announced her retirement with an article in Vogue and said it was in part because she wanted another child.

‘I have never liked the word retirement. It doesn’t feel like a modern word to me,’ she said. ‘I’m here to tell you that I’m evolving away from tennis, toward other things that are important to me.

‘I never wanted to have to choose between tennis and a family. I don’t think it’s fair. If I were a guy, I wouldn’t be writing this because I’d be out there playing and winning while my wife was doing the physical labor of expanding our family. But I’m turning 41 this month, and something’s got to give.’ 

Speaking at a tech event in San Francisco in October, 23-time Major winner Serena said: ‘I am not retired. The chances (of me returning) are very high. You can come to my house and see I have a court.

‘I still haven’t really thought about it. But I did go on the court the other day and realized for the first time in my life that I’m not playing for a competition and that felt very weird.

‘It was like the first day of the rest of my life, and so far, I am enjoying it. But I’m still trying to find that balance.’

In August 2023, Serena welcomed her second daughter with Reddit cofounder husband Alexis Ohanian –  and shared the first glimpse of her newborn in an adorable TikTok video.

The tennis icon, 42, shared a sweet clip of herself, husband and daughter Olympia, five, with the newborn baby – named Adira River Ohanian – and captioned: ‘Welcome my beautiful angel‘.

The tennis player and her spouse first met when they ran into each other at a hotel in Rome in May of 2015, and they began dating not long afterward.

The pair went on to become engaged in December of 2016, and they welcomed daughter Olympia the following September.

The two subsequently tied the knot during a star-studded wedding ceremony that took place in New Orleans that November.

NAOMI WATTS

Naomi Watts, 55, shares her two children (Alexander, 16, and Samuel – who prefers the name Kai, 15) with her ex-partner Liev Schreiber who she split with in 2016 after 11 years.

But in 2010, she revealed that she found it tricky to balance being a parent with the demands of her career as an actress.

‘Every single day, I second-guess myself as a mother,’ she told Blackbook magazine. ‘I chose to be a mum. It’s something I’ve always wanted, but I feel torn between two worlds.

‘I am not reaching the same depths and heights that I used to reach in movies because I’m a parent of two small children who desperately need me. It’s frustrating because I feel like I’m failing a bit on both ends.’ 

But in 2016, when aged 47, the actress said that she felt more on a winning streak, landing better movie roles the older she gets. 

She told OK! magazine: ‘I don’t want to curse myself by saying this, but I’m going to, I guess things are pretty OK for me.

‘I strongly believe the roles over 40 are far more in-depth, far more developed. There’s experience, there’s kids and younger women in their 20s that’s not a lot of life under their belt.’

HELEN SKELTON

Helen Skelton broadcast her final show for BBC Radio 5 Live after a year in her Sunday morning slot in August 2023.

The TV and radio star bid an emotional farewell to listeners as she explained she wanted to spend more of her weekend with her children.

Talking to her fellow 5 Live presenter Steve Crossman, Helen, with her voice breaking said: ‘I am not alright about it but needs must. The juggle is real.’

The star, who split from the father of her children in 2022, added that she wanted to be around to see her children at their weekend sports fixtures, telling listeners that ‘there is an eight-year-old with a sideline who needs me’. 

Later, as she ended her show, Helen said she has ‘loved every minute of the past year … thank you to all the team and thank you to all of you. Its hard to know what to say without getting emotional!’

Helen is a mother of three, sharing her children – Ernie, eight, Louis, five, and one-year-old daughter Elsie – with ex husband Richie Myler.

The television presenter, 40, announced her split from England and Leeds Rhinos rugby league star Richie, 33, in April 2022. 

Helen took over from Laura Whitmore on her BBC Radio Sunday show in August 2022. 

ZOE SALDANA

Zoe Saldaña shares three sons, twins Cy and Bowie, nine, and Zen, seven, with her husband of 11 years Marco Perego.

In 2015, the Avatar actress, 45, admitted that she was almost dropped from a movie because of her pregnancy.

She told USA TODAY: ‘Let me tell you something, it will never be the right time for anybody in your life that you get pregnant.

‘The productions I was slated to work on sort of had a panic. I heard through the grapevine there was even a conversation of me being written off of one of the projects.’ 

Zoe added: ‘I was like, “Oh, my God, are you kidding me? It’s this bad?” Right when I just feel super-duper happy, is that inconvenient for you? That me, as a woman in my thirties, I finally am in love and I am finally starting my life? And it’s (screwing) your schedule up? Really?’

CLAUDIA WINKLEMAN

Claudia Winkleman shares Jake, 20, Matilda, 17, and Arthur, 11, with her film producer partner, Kris Thykier, 50, who she married in 2000.

In December 2023, she announced she would be quitting her BBC Radio 2 show after 15 years on air, with Romesh Ranganathan set to take over in April.

The presenter, 52, whose final programme will be broadcast in March, shared the news with her listeners during one of her shows, admitting she wishes to spend more time with her children.

She began: ‘I would love to share mind, firstly, I’m going to say it out loud and with vim, I love Radio 2.

‘It is an absolute privilege to be here every Saturday, chatting to amazing guests, being with Sally and mainly read your fantastic messages. 

‘But here’s the thing and it is such a boring cliché so I apologise. Time is going too fast. My daughter is getting ready to leave home and she was 3 about 5 minutes ago.

‘I still have a little one who wants to be with me. I don’t know how long that will last and I just need to be at home more. 

‘So my news at 10 is that I am leaving – but I have two pieces of exceptional news. One – the person taking over is one of the funniest and smartest people on earth. 

‘We are going to love listening to him every Saturday at 10. Think of this if you will as an early Christmas present. The one and only Romesh Ranganathan is going to be here from April and he is majestic.

‘Number two, the second piece of good news, is before I leave in March the bosses have said I can play, and I’m unapologetic about this, an obscene amount of this.’ She went on to play Oasis’ hit track You Gotta Roll With it.

In a press release, Claudia added: ‘I absolutely love Radio 2 and it’s been a privilege to host the Saturday morning show for three years. I will miss our amazing guests, our brilliant listeners and the one and only Sally Traffic. 

‘The truth is my children are growing up inordinately fast so I have decided to follow them around at home before they leave for good. 

‘I’m incredibly grateful to everyone who works on the show, I will continue to visit with badly made biscuits and will pester the bosses to present the odd special. 

‘I couldn’t be happier that Romesh is taking over Saturday mornings on Radio 2. He is brilliantly laugh out loud funny, and I’ll listen every single week as my kids beg me to leave them alone.’

Claudia juggles her busy presenting career alongside motherhood, and in September, she said her husband Kris is a better parent to their three children. 

Although she loves being at home with her family, the star admitted it’s a delicate balancing act along with her duties at work.

‘Luckily my husband is a better parent than me,’ she joked to the Daily Mirror. 

While she has found success as the host of three of the biggest shows on TV, Claudia remains humble and insisted it’s all down to good luck.

She said: ‘The Traitors and Strictly and The Piano are so strong anybody could host them. We all know it. But I’m lucky enough that I’m there. That’s the truth.

‘It doesn’t mean I’m not unbelievably grateful, but it’s just as luck would have it I’ve fallen into them.’

MILA KUNIS 

Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher welcomed their daughter Wyatt in October 2014 before getting married in July 2015; son Dimitri soon followed in November 2016.

But months before the birth of her son, Mila insisted that parents can’t find a ‘balance’ between work and family life. 

‘There’s no such thing as balance. It doesn’t exist,’ she told E! News. 

She also told The Cut: ‘Simply put, the idea of balance doesn’t exist. It is your work or your kid, but you can’t balance it. There is really, in my opinion, no such thing. One will take a weight.’

ELLIE HARRISON

In October 2023, Ellie Harrison quit her role on the BBC’s beloved Countryfile after 13 years to focus on raising her son and two daughters. 

The long-time presenter, 45, who was a firm favourite with viewers, said she decided to leave the show so that she can have more time with her family as well as pursuing her ambitions of becoming an artist. 

‘After 13 years, my final column is a fond farewell to Countryfile – I’ll miss the people, places and stories,’ she wrote in the latest issue of Countryfile Magazine. 

‘Thirteen-and-a-half years after I arrived four hours early for my first Countryfile shoot, which culminated in me commuting up Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) to deliver Matt Baker a sandwich of freshly harvested mushrooms, it has come time for me to bid you farewell.

‘It has been a decision I’ve drawn out, such is the bond with the programme, and boy will I miss the geography field trips.’

She said that she had realised that she needs to ‘chart a new course’ that involves spending more time at home.

‘I’ve come to realise that I don’t need to navigate to a whole new ocean or even a new sea, but to chart a new course somewhere in these waters, raising my three wonderful children, growing our family business and following my own creative calling to produce art of my own making,’ she said.

Ms Harrison lives in the Cotswolds with her GP husband Dr Matt Goodman and children Red, 13, Lux, 11, and a seven-year-old she has not publicly named.

The presenter manages a five-acre ancient cider apple orchard, which she rents from her local pub, while Dr Goodman founded health app MapMyHealth, which helps manage chronic conditions. 

She stumbled into television when she was picked to cover Michaela Strachan’s maternity leave on Michaela’s Wild Challenge after working as a secretary at Channel 5 and turning down a role in children’s programme, Milkshake. 

She joined Countryfie in 2009 and has presented a number of shows including Secret Britain, Country Tracks and has appeared on The One Show.