Lily Allen has opened up about the toll her tumultuous last year has taken on her daughters as she admitted they are struggling to readjust following the family’s relocation to the UK.
The 40-year-old singer revealed that Ethel, 14, and Marnie, 13 – whom she shares with ex-husband Sam Cooper – are finding it difficult to navigate changes after moving from New York back to the UK.
Lily, who recently released her West End Girl album that detailed ex David Harbour’s alleged affair whilst they were together, returned home after the break down of her marriage to the 50-year-old.
Speaking candidly on her podcast Miss Me?, Lily said: ‘I’ve done quite a lot this year.
‘I’ve finished an album, I got a boob job, I had a nervous breakdown, I went into hospital for a bit, I came out, I did some podcasting for a while, then I played one of the hardest tracks in theatre and killed myself [in the role of Hedda Gabler] every night for seven weeks.’
She continued: ‘My kids are f***ing mental at the moment… They are really developing their personalities. It’s just a lot. There’s a lot of questions.
Lily Allen has opened up about the toll the last year has taken on her daughters as she admitted they are struggling to readjust following the family’s relocation to the UK (pictured in 2022)
Lily, who released her West End Girl album that detailed ex David Harbour’s alleged affair whilst they were together, returned home after the break down of her marriage to him
‘There’s a lot of change in our lives at the moment. We’ve changed houses, we’ve changed countries, we’ve changed schools, and it’s a lot.’
Lily added that she barely recognises her youngest daughter, who sounds completely different since returning to British soil.
‘Their accents have changed because they’ve come back. Like, now Marnie properly sounds like Princess Margaret. I’m like, who are you?’ the Smile hitmaker said.
‘Literally six months ago, she was like, [puts on a New York accent] “What? No…”. And now it’s like a completely different person.’
She continued: ‘But they are discovering who they are. They’re grappling with some new ideas in terms of who I am.
‘The last five years, I’ve been a stay at home mum. And now I’m a single mum that has to work and suddenly has a lot of work opportunities on my plate and I’m having to travel a lot.
‘But they also like having a nice roof over their heads and nice clothes and being able to go to nice restaurants and things. So they understand it. But it’s just a lot of change.
‘There’s a lot of change and also new friends, new friendship groups and the idea of like boyfriends.’
Lily also revealed how Ethel, 14, and Marnie, 13 are still in touch with their stepfather but she ‘keeps out of it’ (pictured in 2023 in New York)
Lily shares her two teenage daughters with ex-husband Sam Cooper (pictured together in 2011 at Cheltenham Racecourse)
Lily’s tumultuous last year kicked off with news of her split from David after four years of marriage.
The breakdown of her relationship prompted Lily to seek treatment at a mental health facility. At the time, she explained on her podcast that her priority was being the best mother possible.
‘I’m in a situation now where I really have to be my strongest self for them,’ she said at the time. ‘I felt like it was getting harder and harder for me to be able to show up for them in the way that they needed me to.’
Since the split, David has maintained contact with his former stepdaughters, though Lily says she keeps her distance from those relationships.
‘I stay out of it,’ she told The Observer recently. ‘They’ve both got phones. They all text each other.’
When David married Lily in September 2020, he spoke about the positive impact his stepdaughters had made on his life.
He told People at the time: ‘I’m in a relationship with three women who all have very different opinions of me at various times.
The breakdown of her relationship prompted Lily to seek treatment at a mental health facility. At the time, she explained on her podcast that her priority was being the best mother possible
‘Making that kind of a commitment, which I haven’t for most of my life, was a huge thing for me.’
Meanwhile, Lily’s love rival Madeline, who was revealed by this newspaper as being Nadine Tippett, claimed she suffered ‘intense anxiety’ and lived the ‘lowest lows’ in 2025 as she welcomed in the New Year.
the mother-of-one confessed she now has ‘immense gratitude for therapy’ after experiencing a turbulent year of drama.Â
While Natalie has admitted having sex with David when he was married to Lily, she has claimed it was not for three years and has argued it was not an ‘affair’.
Reflecting on her last 12 months, Natalie wrote: ‘2025… highest highs, lowest lows, abundance of joy coupled with intense anxiety
‘Immense gratitude for friends family community therapy and a beautiful healthy baby girl.’
