Warning: This article contains discussion of alcoholism which some readers may find distressing.
Lily Allen has bravely opened up about her life in a recent interview following her five-year milestone in her sobriety journey.
The 39-year-old 'Smile' singer and podcaster is now an ambassador for the Forward Trust, an addiction charity whose patron is the Princess of Wales following her dedication to the journey.
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Allen regularly shares 'intimate details' about her life on her Miss Me? podcast, which she hosts alongside her mate, Miquita Oliver, and explained how sometimes what she shares can end up landing her in deep water.
"It’s really annoying. It comes back to bite me all the time. I put myself out there and I get absolutely pilloried for it by people, and it’s f*cking painful. It’s really, really painful," she told the Times.
Noting her ADHD diagnosis last year, Allen explained: "I’m not trying to be shocking or outspoken. I always get called outspoken. I just don’t have the ability to stop myself saying what comes into my brain. I think it’s the intersection of addiction and neurodivergency.
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"I think my moral compass is pretty good, so when I’m sharing intimate details about my life, I’m looking for people to connect or to resonate, or to validate the things that are going on in my head."
Allen, who shares two children, Ethel Mary and Marnie Rose, with her ex-husband Sam Cooper, continued: "Sobriety or addiction is something that I have real-life experience with, and can talk truthfully and openly about.
"Addicts are everywhere. We’re all around you. We look like your mum, your dad, your kids, your best friends. Coming to terms with that part of yourself can feel incredibly isolating.
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"The journey of sobriety isn’t singular, and it isn’t linear. So if sharing my own experiences and struggles helps even just one person process what they’re going through, then it’s all worth it."
After her marriage with Cooper broke down in 2016, Allen tied the knot with Stranger Things actor David Harbour, 49, in 2020.
The wedding took place during the pandemic at the Graceland Chapel in Las Vegas, in a ceremony which was officiated by an Elvis impersonator.
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Discussing her relationship with Harbour, who has also been sober now for over two decades, Allen revealed: "We don’t really talk about it.
"I don’t think I’d ever had sex with anybody not drunk before I got together with him. So that was different for sure. It’s a totally different thing.
"It’s unavoidable, conscious and real. He had a lot of experience with it, so it’s been helpful to do it with someone that’s long-in-the-tooth in that game."
Please drink responsibly. If you want to discuss any issues relating to alcohol in confidence, contact Drinkline on 0300 123 1110, 9am–8pm weekdays and 11am–4pm weekends for advice and support.
Topics: Lily Allen, Celebrity, Sex and Relationships
Rhiannon Ingle