'Did not feel like a pop star': Inside Lily Allen's comeback
By Merryn Porter|
Singer-songwriter and actress Lily Allen was always destined for fame.
As the daughter of Welsh actor Keith Allen and British film producer Alison Owens, she grew up surrounded by entertainers, and made her TV debut at the age of three.
But after her stardom eclipsed that of her parents, Allen has since claimed they "resented her success".
Now married to her second husband, Stranger Things actor David Harbour, the mother of two daughters says she is the happiest she has ever been.
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Her early life
Lily Allen was born on May 2, 1985, in West London. She has two sisters, Sarah and Rebecca, and a brother Alfie, for whom she wrote the song of the same name.
At age three, Allen appeared on an episode of The Comic Strip Presents... which was co-written by her father, who became best known for his roles in Trainspotting, The Others and Agent Cody Banks: Destination London.
When she was four, her father left her mother. The family lived in a council estate for a time.
Allen was 11 when Rachel Santesso, a teacher who would go on to become an award-winning soprano, overheard her singing Wonderwall in the playground. She called her into her office the next day, where she started giving her lunchtime singing lessons.
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She was invited to sing in a school concert, and Allen later recalled that the audience was "brought to tears at the sight of a troubled young girl doing something good".
Growing up, Allen played piano, violin, guitar and trumpet, and took singing lessons. She told The Mirror in 2021 she knew early on she would be famous "no matter what."
She told The Recovery podcast, "I needed to be seen. I had spent my whole life being part of this scene of really impressive people and everyone else being prioritised over me."
After attending 13 different schools, where she was often expelled for drinking and smoking, she left school at 15.
Rise to the top started with MySpace
Allen was in Ibiza, Spain, when she met her first manager George Lamb. She recorded the song On Me Head Not Off Me Head, which had been written by her father.
In 2002, she signed with London Records, but none of the folk songs her father wrote for her were released.
Allen then started writing her own songs, and in 2005, she started posting her demos on MySpace, where they were a hit with listeners. Allen's first single was a limited vinyl release of LDN.
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Her debut album, Alright, Still, which included singles Smile, LDN, Knock 'Em Out and Alfie ,was released in January 2007.
It was a hit in the US and UK. That year she played at the Glastonbury Festival and the Concert for Diana at London's Wembley Stadium.
Her second album, It's Not Me, It's You, was released in February 2009 and debuted at number one on the UK, Canada and Australian charts, and at number five in the US.
The first single, The Fear, went straight to number one in the UK, where it stayed for four weeks. She embarked on a world tour that ran for two years.
Her difficult road to motherhood
Around the time of Glastonbury, she began dating Ed Simons of the Chemical Brothers, and she fell pregnant just three months later, but suffered a miscarriage.
In July, following the release of her second album, Allen began dating builder Sam Cooper and the following year they announced they were expecting. But six months into the pregnancy, she went into labour.
Allen wrote in her 2018 memoir, My Thoughts Exactly that she was in labour when a nurse told her the umbilical cord was around the baby's neck.
"There was a pulse. Now there isn't. There is no pulse now," she wrote.
Baby George was stillborn 10 hours later and Allen was later diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder.
She and Cooper got engaged in December 2010 and married the following June at a church in England. By this time, Allen was pregnant again. Daughter Ethel Mary was born in November 2011.
After her second daughter, Marnie Rose, was born in January 2013, she was diagnosed with postnatal depression.
'Did not feel like a pop star at all': Behind her break from music
The pop star began collaborating with other artists, including Pink, on her song True Love.
Allen's third album Sheezus, was released in 2014. She called it her 'mumback' album. That year, she toured the US as a support act for Miley Cyrus's Bangerz tour.
Allen later revealed during a January 2021 interview with The Mirror, that while on tour she became addicted to drugs.
"Six months after my youngest was born we ran out of money and had to go out on the road again and I was 14 stone [89 kilograms] and did not feel like a pop star at all," she said.
"I was supporting this girl who was much younger and more attractive than I felt and I just started acting out in all manner of ways."
Allen and Cooper broke up in 2015 and their divorce was finalised in 2018.
Her fourth album, No Shame, was released in June 2018 and dealt with her marriage breakdown, motherhood and substance abuse. It was followed by a world tour, after which she took a break from music to try her hand at acting.
In 2019, she played Elizabeth Taylor in the film, How to Build a Girl, alongside her brother Alfie. Two years later she received a Laurence Olivier Award nomination for best actress for her performance in the West End stage production A Ghost Story.
In 2022, she returned to Glastonbury to sing F--- You to protest the US Supreme Court's controversial abortion ruling.
Allen has spoken out about her body image problems and substance abuse, and said she finally sought help with her addictions in 2019 after becoming tempted to try heroin.
'My life has pretty much never been as good as it is now': Another chance at love and life
In 2019, Allen began dating Stranger Things actor David Harbour after the two met on the exclusive dating app Raya. They were married a year later in Las Vegas.
Allen admitted this year her career had suffered because she prioritised her children.
"My children ruined my career. I love them and they complete me, but in terms of pop stardom, they totally ruined it," she revealed.
Allen told The Mirror in 2018 she blamed the lack of "affirmation and praise" from her parents for her drink and drug problems.
"I got it from strangers but not the people I wanted it from. In fact, I was met by a bit of resentment from those people.
"[So I] buried my head with drugs and alcohol, but I was just really sad".
Nowadays, Allen, 38, lives in Brooklyn and co-hosts a twice-weekly podcast, Miss Me?
In an episode of her podcast this month, she revealed giving up drugs and alcohol five years ago was the best decision she ever made.
She also revealed her motivation for staying sober.
"I know what I stand to lose if I start to drink again, which is everything," she said.
"My life has pretty much never been as good as it is now. I've got a beautiful house, my kids are happy, they're engaged, I'm connected with them. I have a good relationship with my husband, I have money, I have creative outlets.
"Everything is good and I don't think that would be the case if I wasn't sober."
The Red Nose Grief and Loss Support Line is available 24/7 for anyone affected by the loss of a pregnancy, stillbirth or death of a baby or child on 1300 308 307.
If you or someone you know needs help, please call the National Alcohol and Other Drug hotline on 1800 250 015 or call Lifeline on 13 11 14.
