Would she let either of her daughters pursue a career that brings them fame, after everything she has been through? “I’ve had a lot of fun. The only reason I would say no is because I’d be jealous,” Lily jokes. “If my daughter was suddenly getting picked up in a Mercedes S-Class and being driven off to a Chanel event, I’d be like, ‘Hmm, OK.’”
Luckily the fashion week invites are still coming, so Lily won’t have to trade her Mercedes for an Uber Toyota Prius any time soon. One thing that is a continuing journey for her, though, is working out who the real Lily Allen is away from her celebrity status. “I’m still learning now. I don’t know if I’ll ever learn,” she says.
“Therapy, lots of therapy,” has helped her up until this point and Lily has always been very honest about her mental health journey, admitting she has turned to medication, too, for help. “I’ve always maintained the idea that if you brush something under the carpet then it stays under the carpet, it festers and it gets worse and worse,” she says. “No problems have ever been solved by ignoring them; I’ve always thought that talking about things is the best way. Unfortunately, most of the talking I did in my youth was with journalists or the internet, so I did things in a very public way. I felt like it was my calling at the time to talk about things that people didn’t necessarily talk about.”
After doing so much work on herself, does Lily have love for herself now? “Yeah, I do,” she replies. “And not in this sort of Instagram sense. People love to wang on about that a lot and there’s a certain amount of bullsh*t that comes with that self-love conversation. I’ve found an amount of self-love – or at least peace – but it’s not my mantra. Quite a lot of those infographic Instagram self-love posts are about self-interest and doing whatever it is you want to do, and not giving a sh*t about anybody else that’s getting in your way. I really do not subscribe to that. It’s a very Tory way of thinking: ‘It doesn’t matter, you do what you need to do, and make sure that number one’s OK’. I don’t believe in that. I believe in the idea of community and that if you look after everybody around you, then those people will hold you up. At least, that’s been my experience.”
European editorial director: Deborah Joseph
European beauty director and UK Deputy Editor: Camilla Kay
Website Directors: Ali Pantony and Bianca London
European Design Director: Dennis Lye
European visual director: Amelia Trevette
Entertainment director and Assistant Editor: Emily Maddick
European Fashion Editor: Londie Ncube
Talent Booking: The Talent Group
Video Producer: Elizabeth Robert
Photographer: Sabine Villiard
Stylist: Karen Clarkson
Hair Stylist: Romina Manenti at Home Agency
Makeup Artist: Benjamin Puckey at The Wall Group
Nail Artist: Mo Qin at The Wall Group
Digi Tech: Paul Storey
1st Assistant: Astin Ferraras
2nd Assistant: Kyle Amerantes
Stylist Assistant: Molly Ellison & Lauren Herwig
On Set Producer: Jean Jarvis
Production Assistant: Elyse Marcinkowski
Executive Production: HenHouse