Lily Allen: Having Kids 'Totally Ruined' Music Career

Lily Allen's musical stardom has tailed off considerably in recent years, and the 38-year-old says it's no mystery. "My children ruined my career," a laughing Allen says on the Radio Times Podcast, per Page Six. "I mean, I love them, and they complete me, but in terms of, like, you know, pop stardom, totally ruined it." And though she is laughing, Allen also makes clear that a serious point is at play:

• "It really annoys me when people say you can have it all because, quite frankly, you can't," she says. Allen has two children, Ethel, 12, and Marnie, 11, with ex-husband Sam Cooper, per People.
• As for her choice: "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."
• Allen, who married Stranger Things star David Harbour in 2020, also announced a new podcast, "Miss Me?" that will be on BBC Sounds.

(More Lily Allen stories.)