Keira Knightley doesn’t think mothers get "enough credit".
The 33-year-old actress has three-year-old daughter Edie with her husband James Righton, and has said she believes women should be praised for enduring the "physical and emotional marathon" they go through when they become mothers.
She said: "I don’t think we give women enough credit for the physical and emotional marathon they go through when becoming a mother. I come from a place of amazing privilege. I have an incredible support system; I’ve been unbelievably lucky in my career; I can afford good childcare, and yet I still find it really f***ing difficult."
And the ‘Colette’ star insists its "okay" to admit parenting is difficult.
Speaking to Balance magazine, she added: "It’s OK to say that. It doesn’t mean I don’t love my kid, it’s just me admitting that the sleep deprivation, the hormonal changes, the shift in relationship with my partner, are all things that make me feel as if I’m failing on a daily basis. I have to remind myself that I haven’t failed, I’m just doing what I can do, but it’s not easy."
Her comments come after she previously claimed she isn’t "maternal" despite being a mother, but knew she "always wanted" to "experience" parenthood.
The ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ star said: "I was never particularly maternal, but I always knew I wanted to experience that. It’s part of life. I want to experience as much of life as I can."
And Keira admits she "misses" going out like she used to but understands that she can’t do that or she wouldn’t be "the parent that she wants to be".
She added: "I do miss going out. I loved it. I felt like a big part of myself was the self that was out dancing until six in the morning most nights unless I was on a film. That’s a difficult shift for any couple when you have a child. I don’t think we would have survived physically for that much longer if we’d kept going at that rate, but it was a big shift. I think the first year we tried to pretend that we could have that life still, and we can’t – not being the parents that we want to be."
Keira Knightley: Mothers deserve more credit
