Lily Allen has revealed that her daughters, Ethel and Marnie, continue to maintain a close relationship with actor David Harbour, even though she and Harbour split about a year ago. The 40-year-old singer emphasized that she intentionally stays out of their interactions, allowing her children to communicate openly.
In an interview with The Observer, Allen explained, “I stay out of it. They’ve both got phones. They all text each other.” Ethel, 14, and Marnie, 12, are Allen’s daughters from her first marriage to Sam Cooper, and she seems supportive of their ongoing bond with Harbour.
Reflecting on her experiences, Allen admitted that her second marriage to Harbour has given her a deeper perspective on the difficulties endured during her first marriage. Her latest album, West End Girl, hints at themes of betrayal and emotional pain she’s faced. “I’ve learned there are no baddies and goodies in a marriage,” she said. “Having done things that were not very nice in my first marriage, I have a better idea now of the pain I may have inflicted. I’ve learned how horrible it is to be on the receiving end of that.”
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Despite her past challenges, including two brief marriages, Allen hasn’t ruled out marriage altogether. She candidly shared, “I’d like to say I’d never do it again, but I do like it. Everything but the institution of it, you know? I like being chosen. I like jewellery. I like getting dressed up. I like celebrating. I don’t like talking about money. I like my independence. But I don’t like divorce.”
Allen described divorce as a “devastating” experience, one that brings sleepless nights, financial strain, and a loss of trust. “It keeps you up at night and costs a huge amount of money and just goes on and on and on. And I hate feeling like I can’t trust anyone. But there’s something about dealing with an ex-partner and lawyers that creates an environment of feeling like you can’t trust anybody or anything.”
Looking back over the past two decades, Allen shared that she has grown tremendously through life’s ups and downs. “We’re all massive walking contradictions, right? That’s what makes us human beings. You can think one thing one day, and then you grow, and you think something else – that’s life,” she said. “I’m a different person than I was 20 years ago because I’ve lived 20 years of my life and I’ve had two children and two marriages and I’ve learned a lot.”