Lily Allen recently got candid about how her children have impacted her career. "My children ruined my career," Allen, 38, said with a laugh while appearing on a "Radio Times" podcast. "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 two daughters, Ethel Mary, 12, and Marnie Rose, 11, with ex-husband Sam Cooper. "Some people choose their career over their children, and that's their prerogative," Allen said. "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 how she was raised, 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. Fingers crossed" Allen is the daughter of actor Keith Allen and producer Alison Owen. As a rebellious teenager, Allen was kicked out of many schools for drinking and smoking.

Allen isn't the first celebrity to speak out about balancing being a mom and a career in Hollywood. In 2021, Megan Fox shared her experiences raising her children while working in the entertainment industry while appearing on "The Kelly Clarkson Show." "Hollywood is not adapted to women and us actually having lives and being moms," she told Clarkson. She continued, "As an actor it's just very unforgiving because you can't be on camera once you're past a certain stage of pregnancy. 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.'" Fox also spoke about the pressure of having to work out right after pregnancy in 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."