Holly Willoughby has discussed experiencing working mum guilt and her thoughts on turning 40 in a candid new interview with Red Magazine.
The This Morning presenter, 39, who is mother to sons Harry, 11, Chester, five, and daughter Belle, nine, with husband Dan Baldwin, said she never imagined juggling motherhood with a career when she dreamed of having a family.
She said: ‘Becoming a mum was the only thing I knew I definitely wanted when I was growing up, but the image I had never involved me being a working mum and that’s been the biggest challenge.
Interview: Holly Willoughby has discussed experiencing working mum guilt and her thoughts on turning 40 in a candid new interview with Red Magazine
‘I’ve been riddled with guilt about getting that part wrong. You love them so much and you don’t want to mess them up.
Holly said her working schedule meant she had missed key days in her children’s lives, adding: ‘The truth is, I didn’t do the drop-off on Harry’s or Belle’s first day of school because I was working. I hate that I wasn’t there because those are memories you can’t get back.
‘But I’ve realised the only way that I can combat those feelings is to accept that sometimes I don’t get it right – and that’s fine.’
Holly added that she’s ‘lucky’ she’s able to greet her kids after school and be there on weekends.
Kids: The This Morning presenter, 39, who is mother to sons Harry, 11, Chester, five, and daughter Belle, nine, with husband Dan Baldwin, said she never imagined juggling motherhood with a career when she dreamed of having a family
The star will turn 40 in February 2021 and opened up about how she plans to embrace the new decade of her life.
She said: ‘I turn 40 next year and I have to say, I’m really looking forward to it. My 30s have been all about the kids – bringing them up, keeping all these balls afloat – but now they’re getting older, there’s a bit more space where I can start focusing on things that are happening for me.
‘I see my 40s as a chance to find myself again and figure out who I am.’
Giving an insight into her family life, she said: ‘Most nights, we play a game as a family called The Dinner Quiz, where Dan goes around the dinner table asking everybody fun questions.
She said: ‘I’ve been riddled with guilt about getting that part wrong. You love them so much and you don’t want to mess them up’
‘It’s really simple, but we always end up laughing because one of us has said something silly.
To me, that’s real success, appreciating how special the things are that are right in front of you.
‘It’s not having a gazillion followers on social media, it’s cherishing the people around you. I hope I don’t lose sight of how important it is to come home, shut the door and focus on just being there.’
She said: ‘But I’ve realised the only way that I can combat those feelings is to accept that sometimes I don’t get it right – and that’s fine’
Holly has carved out a position as a national treasure alongside Phillip Schofield as hosts on This Morning and discussed how she is at peace with her mistakes, some of which have occurred on live television.
She said: ‘I’ve struggled with dyslexia since I was young and it used to hold me back. At school, reading out loud absolutely terrified me because I’d get all the words wrong and I was convinced everybody thought I was stupid.
Must read: Read the full Holly Willoughby interview in the July issue of Red, on sale June 4
‘It still happens now – most of the mistakes I make on This Morning are because of it, but it doesn’t do what it did to me back then because I don’t let it have power. I now know that it’s all about how you package it in your head.’
The star credited putting herself in uncomfortable positions with propelling her to TV stardom, and for finding her confidence.
She said: ‘Looking back on my career, I realise that I’ve only got to this point by putting myself in uncomfortable positions. I was always very shy and I never really had the confidence to speak up for myself when I was younger.
‘I started modelling in my teens, just so I could earn some money to go on a gap year, and I’d go to castings for things like toothpaste commercials and sit in the waiting room, barely able to look anyone in the eye, thinking, “Oh my God, I don’t know what to do,” while all these other girls walked in looking super-confident.
‘I felt so uncomfortable, but I didn’t give up – I pushed myself to keep going, to find that confidence. And I owe my TV career to that.’
Read the full Holly Willoughby interview in the July issue of Red, on sale June 4.
Fan favourites: Holly has carved out a position as a national treasure alongside Phillip Schofield as hosts on This Morning and discussed how she is at peace with her mistakes, some of which have occurred on live television