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Holly Willoughby opens up about dealing with 'mum guilt'

29 October 2021, 13:19

Holly Willoughby has opened up about dealing with mum guilt. Picture: BBC/Instagram

Holly Willoughby has spoken candidly about dealing with mum guilt in a new interview.

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Holly Willoughby has opened up about dealing with 'mum-guilt' during a recent appearance on The One Show.

The This Morning presenter, 40, appeared on the show to promote her new book Reflections, and spoke candidly about struggling with feelings of guilt.

She said: "I feel guilty about everything.

"I've had to really focus on this and think - 'where is the guilt coming from?'

"I think the thing with working mum guilt is that you're not there to drop your kids off at school because you have to be at work..

"But what I'm feeling guilty about is 'oh I clearly don't love my kids because I love my career more than my children, which is why I'm choosing to do this'.

Holly was promoting her book on The One Show. Picture: BBC

She added: "But of course that's not the case. I know I love my kids more than anything on this planet.

"So why am I thinking like that? And it's because I believe that's what everybody else is thinking.

"So you have to re-evaluate what rules you're living by. Are they yours or are there other ones you think there are?"

Holly, who is mum to Harry, 12, Belle, 10, and Chester, seven, continued: "A big part of the book was reconnection in many ways - mainly reconnecting with myself.

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"I feel like I'd completely lost a part of myself. I was so busy sort of focussing on so many things that actually looking in and focussing on myself, I'd lost that.

"I had to get to know myself, and being still, being reflective and getting into nature was a major part of things.

"There's definitely pieces of me I haven't been ready to share yet. And actually there's pieces of myself that I've only really discovered since I've paused and got to know myself again.

Holly is mum to three children. Picture: Instagram/Holly Willoughy

"Up until now I think I've probably been terrified of the reception...for fear of being judged in some way.

"Obviously I am very lucky and I am very blessed and I do have a wonderful family and husband and work, I love my career.

"Sometimes when you're spinning all these plates you do forget to stop and work out who you are in the middle of all this craziness...I just lost touch with myself."