Lily Allen at the 17th Annual CHANEL & Tribeca Artists Dinner in NYC

Lily Allen Says She Is 'Going Through A Tough Time' Amid Mental Health Struggles

Home / Entertainment / Lily Allen Says She Is 'Going Through A Tough Time' Amid Mental Health Struggles

By Chukwudi Onyewuchi on December 17, 2024 at 6:45 PM EST

British pop star Lily Allen has opened up about her mental health struggles, revealing she has found it difficult to eat for the past three years.

The singer is no stranger to being candid about her difficult experiences and recently detailed her rock-bottom moment and struggles with alcohol.

Allen also caused a stir in September when she revealed she had kids for all the wrong reasons, and her recent revelation about her mental health struggles could raise some concerns.

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Lily Allen Opens Up About Her Mental Health Struggles

Lily Allen is seen arriving at the Chiltern Firehouse, wearing a stunning Giambattista Valli dress
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The 39-year-old songstress shared details about her mental health struggles during the December 16 episode of her BBC podcast "Miss Me?"

Allen told co-host Miquita Oliver that she had experienced difficulty eating for the past three years but didn't let her therapist know about it.

She revealed, "I've been going through a tough time over the last few months and my eating has become a real issue."

The "Hard Out Here" singer also shared that her therapist asked her why she never opened up about her problems for a long time and admitted that even though she doesn't necessarily lie during her therapy sessions, she unintentionally left out aspects of her life.

Allen explained, "It's just because it hasn't seemed at the top of the list of the important things that I need to talk about."

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Lily Allen Admits Her Brain And Body Are Not Connected

Lily Allen Opens Up About 'Retreating' After Stillbirth Of Her Son And Other Sad Events In Her Life
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The "Littlest Things" singer, who was diagnosed with ADHD in 2023, wondered if the disorder contributed to her leaving out her eating problems during her therapy sessions.

Allen admitted, "I don't think a lot of things. My body and my brain are two very separate things to me. I know a lot of people feel those two things are very connected to each other but with me, it's very different. I spend a lot of time in my head and not a lot of time thinking about my body."

The "How to Build a Girl" actress revealed that her mental health isn't great at the moment. She explained, "I'm not eating but I'm not hungry — I obviously am hungry but my body and my brain are so disconnected from each other that the messages of hunger are not going from my body to my brain."

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Allen further revealed that she wasn't avoiding food but was just not thinking, adding that her body was a few steps behind her.

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Lily Allen's Previous Eating Problems

2022 Gem Awards
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This isn't the first time the songstress has opened up about her eating problems, as she previously detailed her struggles with bulimia in 2011, despite people constantly complimenting her appearance.

In a chat with Channel 4, Allen said, "It's not something I am proud of. But I tell you what, a lot of people used to come up to me and tell me how great I looked. I was on the cover of every magazine with them saying, 'Lily is looking amazing. Look at how much weight she has lost.' I thought I looked good."

However, despite the praise she received, Allen admitted that she wasn't happy. She wanted to be the "skinniest, mini-est person in the world," but she couldn't do that without being unhappy because of her love for food at the time.

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Allen Gets Candid About Alcohol Struggles

In November, Allen marked five years of sobriety and narrated her rock-bottom moment and past drinking problems during an interview with The Times UK.

The "Not Fair" singer admitted that she "drank herself into oblivion" before arriving at her ex-husband Sam Cooper's home after he moved on with a new relationship.

Allen revealed that she began screaming at Cooper when she got there, waking up their two kids, Ethel Mary, 13, and Marnie Rose, 11, who became distressed.

She confessed that her kids "remember that. And they know that I was under the influence then, and that it's important that mummy avoids getting into those situations."

Allen Reflects On Motherhood

Lily Allen seen at BBC Radio 6 Studios London
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In September, the mother of two opened up about her motherhood journey during an episode of her podcast, revealing that she had now realized that she had kids for the wrong reasons.

She shared per the Daily Mail, "I think I had children for all the wrong reasons really because I was yearning for unconditional love, which I haven't felt in my life since I was a child."

Allen reflected on her childhood, revealing that she hoped motherhood would bring her the love and stability she had always yearned for and slow down her fast-paced career.

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The "22" singer also shared that becoming a mother ruined her career. She confessed, "My children ruined my career. I love them and they complete me, but in terms of pop stardom, they totally ruined it. I get really annoyed when people say you can have it all because, quite frankly, you can't."

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