Lydia Bright admits she “feels overwhelmed” as a single parent because she’s put herself under “huge pressure.”
The former TOWIE star, 32, who is a single mum to daughter Loretta, three, admitted she faced ‘mother guilt’ when she turned to family and friends for help.
I talk to Kate Ferdinand about her Blended podcast, Lydia said she “actually doesn’t feel like a single parent anymore” because she has a “village” helping raise her little girl.
Lydia explained, “Sometimes I find things overwhelming. I don’t feel like I’m a single mother, they say it takes a village and my family is incredible. We live so close to each other and they are also very practical.
“I sent Loretta to daycare and I felt so guilty. Sometimes you have to rely on friends, family and childcare. You can’t achieve everything on your own, but you get mom’s guilt and put enormous pressure on yourself as a parent when you work and are busy.’
‘I never dreamed of being a single mother’: Lydia Bright admits she ‘feels overwhelmed’ as a single parent because she puts herself under ‘huge pressure’
‘I felt so guilty’: The former TOWIE star, 32, who is a single mother to daughter Loretta, three, admitted she faced ‘mother guilt’ when she turned to family and friends for help
Lydia shares Loretta with ex-boyfriend, mechanic Lee Cronin, whom she divorced when she was 11 weeks pregnant – but with whom she now has a “great relationship.”
She said it’s “for the best” that their daughter never saw them together, but did reveal that he was in the delivery room when she gave birth.
The TV personality continued, ‘Me and her dad have a great relationship now, we’ve had our ups and downs but we get along great.
“It’s for the best we’re not together and it’s a good thing Loretta didn’t see us together.”
Lydia went on to reveal that the hardest part about being a single mom was “doing the pregnancy absolutely on my own.”
She explained how she was “scared” and “frozen” when she publicly announced the news.
She said, “I never dreamed of being a single mother. I thought I’d get married and have kids and that’s how it goes. You didn’t see the stories of the single parents who stood in front of it and were proud of it.
“I’m so proud to say I’m a single mom, but then I was so nervous that people would judge me. I was terrified.
‘We’ve had our ups and downs, but we’re fine’: Lydia shares Loretta with ex-boyfriend Lee Cronin who she split with when she was 11 weeks pregnant
‘I was terrified’: Lydia went on to reveal that the hardest part of being a single mom was ‘definitely doing the pregnancy alone’
‘It’s the best thing that ever happened’: After welcoming her daughter, Lydia said her attitude changed quickly and she learned ‘not really to care what anyone else thinks’
“The hardest part was definitely doing the pregnancy alone. I get a little emotional, but she was the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
“But when I was pregnant, I was scared. It was unexpected that I never wanted to go it alone and it was hard and I was nervous and heartbroken.”
After welcoming her daughter, Lydia said her attitude changed quickly and she learned “not really to care what anyone else thinks.”
She was pregnant along with some of her friends who were in a relationship and now they have playdates with their kids and she doesn’t feel any different from them.
Lydia added, “By having a child I didn’t really care what anyone else thinks because at the end of the day you are the only person running your life and if you let everyone influence you then you will never make choices.
“My mom turned to me and said, ‘Nothing bad can come of having a child’ and I thought, ‘You’re so right, it’s a blessing.’
“I got pregnant so quickly with Loretta, who was so lucky and I thought, ‘This is my chance, my biological clock is ticking and all I’ve ever wanted is to be a mother.’
‘I had a lot of friends around me and they were all pregnant. I put pressure on myself and had to face the reality that I wasn’t doing it like the fairytale I imagined.
“I actually think the life I’m leading now is better than the fairy tale I dreamed. It’s the best thing that ever happened.
“I don’t feel any different with my friends who have kids in couples, on playdates the men aren’t there, we all complain about the same thing. I don’t feel like I’m that different.’
Lydia said she no longer feels “lonely” and her little girl has become her “best friend.”
She said, “Now that she’s three, it’s like having a little best friend and it never feels lonely when I bounce on her now that we communicate.” I don’t know how I was so lucky.’
‘I don’t know how I got so lucky’: Lydia said she no longer feels ‘lonely’ and her little girl has become her ‘best friend’