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 New ventures and relationship with the media

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 New ventures and relationship with the media

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This text informs the reader of the high level of attention celebrities face from the media and public. The article demonstrates how celebrities' position in the media can be challenged by the medium of the press and how paparazzi culture in London impacts celebrities in positive and negative ways.

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The British singer, now sober, has a new life in New York, and a new string to her bow: acting.

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Vogue comments on how Allen's post-show looks deserve just as much attention as her performances on stage. This article illustrates how Allen presents her star image through high fashion choices and highlights how personal appearance is an integral part of celebrity status.

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Lily Allen Is Turning the Stage Door Into a Runway

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The singer and actor has elevated her wardrobe while staying true to her colorful roots.

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Looking back on two decades in the spotlight

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Looking back on two decades in the spotlight

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In this interview, Allen reflects on her past after winning GLAMOUR Women of the Year. Sobriety has given the artist a new perspective on her old life. This source illustrates how celebrities exist at the centre of media and cultural life.

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Lily Allen has done it all, from No.1 singles to selling sex toys. But at every turn, she's been faced with painful media scrutiny. Now, as we honour her with Theatre Actor at the GLAMOUR Women of the Year Awards 2023, Lily proves her doubters wrong yet again. Lily talks to Josh Smith about everything from sobriety to Russell Brand - and returning to the studio to make new music.

I am midway through my 90-minute DMC with Lily Allen when I ask, looking back on nearly two decades in the spotlight, what has been her biggest moment of personal growth? Her response? "The GLAMOUR Women of the Year Awards," Lily replies instantly, via Zoom from her walk-in wardrobe in New York. "I think it was 2008. I was carried out of the GLAMOUR Awards over some railings in an incredibly inebriated state. So, this is my growth. I'm coming back this year, sober."

I didn't anticipate the GLAMOUR Women of the Year Awards being such a turning point in Lily's life, but as I learn throughout our time chatting, you never know what to expect next speaking with Lily. And that's why she's been so famous for so long: she's refreshing in ways you never expect.

"But," she concedes, "I wouldn't change anything that happened. I've learned from everything and also, I had a lot of fun. But if you'd have said to me at the GLAMOUR Women of the Year Awards in 2008, when I was being carried out by security, that I'd be back in 14 years and I'd be married to an American actor, I'd be sober, my kids would be at school in New York and I'd be doing theatre, I'd be like, 'What are you talking about? Of course, that's not going to happen!' But here I am. I have turned it around, and it feels pretty good."

Now aged 38, life is certainly very different for Lily. For the past four years, she has swapped drugs and drinking for sobriety and traded constant media scrutiny in London for anonymity in New York where she lives with her two children, Ethel and Marnie (from her previous marriage to builder and decorator Sam Cooper), and her husband, Stranger Things star David Harbour, who she married in 2020 in a low-key Las Vegas wedding.

"Sometimes, I just look up and I'm like, 'F*ck, there's the Empire State Building. What am I doing here?'" Lily reflects, adjusting her recently cropped pink hair. "There is a normality to life here that I really enjoy and that my kids really enjoy. I was very nervous about them going through their teenage years with things being so fraught politically in England as they are, because I wouldn't be able to not have an opinion. Obviously, when I broadcast my opinion, it invites a lot of response, and I don't really want my kids to have to be on the receiving end of that stuff. I feel safer here. Not that things aren't bad politically here - they are. I just don't care as much."

One of the greatest revelations from this new chapter in Lily's life has been a shock to her. "I've learned I am a morning person," she smiles. "Now that I have stopped drinking, I get up at 6AM. Never in a million years did I think that would be me, but it wasn't that I wasn't a morning person, it was just that I was a drunk."

Sobriety has also given her a new perspective on her old life. "I certainly look at things that I've done and I go, 'God, that's cringe,' or, 'I wish I hadn't behaved like that on that night.' But it's not really about singular events, it's more about how it made me feel in general about myself. Sometimes, I look back and I see pictures of myself in a certain period of time and I'll think, 'God, I remember looking at the mirror at that time, thinking I looked completely different, and I clearly looked ill, sad and unhealthy.' You couldn't have told me that I was those things at that time because I was just numbing it all. I was just numbing the pain. I look back at it sometimes with sadness for that person, but that soon changes into gratitude for what I have now. Thankfully, I found a different way."

For all the different chapters in her career: the Brit Award-winning musician who produced such mega-hits as Smile, LDN and The Fear, to Somewhere Only We Know, covering Keane's hit for the John Lewis Christmas ad; host of her own chat show, Lily Allen And Friends, in 2008; the late-noughties face of Chanel; author of Sunday Times' bestselling autobiography, My Thoughts Exactly, in 2018; and sex-toy tycoon with her range for Womanizer - it's her latest on-stage career change that has surprised her most. Lily can't quite believe she is officially an award-winning actor. Nominated for an Olivier Award for her 2021 West End debut in 2:22 A Ghost Story, in which she played a new mother haunted by a ghost, she has now picked up a GLAMOUR Women of the Year Award for Theatre Actor for her role in this year's The Pillowman, where she starred as Katurian, a writer who is questioned by police about a number of child murders that seem all too similar to her stories. It was also the first time this role was played by a woman on the West End. Lily made her TV acting debut this year, too, in Dreamland, a Sky TV show based on Sharon Horgan's short about the trials and tribulations of four sisters in Margate.

"I was convinced it would be a disaster," Lily says, speaking of her pivot into acting. "I'm sort of a bit of a masochist really. When I took on my first role in 2:22 A Ghost Story, I knew it was going to be a learning experience, but I was convinced that the reaction to it was going to be very negative."

As for Lily being nominated for her first Olivier Award, Lily's mum - Oscar-nominated producer Alison Owen - was grounding to say the least. "I called my mum and she was like, 'Are you sure?'" You can always rely on a parent for a grounding moment, can't you? "She came to see The Pillowman, and she was quite taken aback. She came backstage afterwards and I said, 'Did you enjoy it?' And she said, 'God, no. If you weren't in it, I would've left at the interval.' She's very, very honest. A little too honest sometimes."

While Lily's mother was a tough audience, The Pillowman was a huge box-office success with critics calling her "commanding" performance "near-perfection". Lily herself is now no longer listening to any reviews. "I do read reviews, but after this play [ The Pillowman], I will never read reviews ever again, because there were some that were less than complimentary about me and my performance - and it killed me for a few days, but I did learn a lot from it. Although people have been very critical in the press about me - my personality, my appearance or the decisions that I've made in my life - generally in terms of my creative output, I've never really had any reaction critically other than, 'She's brilliant.' This was the first time that that hadn't happened. And actually, it wasn't the criticism that upset me, it was the fact that I had to talk to people about it."

"My mum called me and said, 'How do you feel?' And I was like, 'Oh God, I can't believe I have to have this conversation.' I realised that I've spent nearly 20 years hiding behind my success a little bit, because as long as, 'Lily's doing fine, she's in the charts and her albums are doing well,' I can just bat people away. This time was different and it made me very uncomfortable, but it was really valuable in lots of ways."

She continues, "Not only did I have a couple of classes with some acting coaches that helped me find some other stuff for the play, but it was more of a wake-up call in terms of what I've used my success for in the past. Even though it's a very public-facing job, I've been able to hide in it, in lots of ways. Reading my bad reviews meant that I actually had to go and talk to people about it. It's like, 'Thank you for my bad review.'"

Lily is certainly feeling the fear and doing it anyway in this new chapter. "When you go into the theatre and go up for the first time, it's like nothing I've ever felt before, nerve-wise. It's absolutely horrendous," she discloses. "In the few days leading up to those first shows, you're like, 'What the f*ck have I done? Why am I doing this to myself? Why on earth would I have thought this is a good idea?' It's a bit like having children. When you are in the delivery suite, you're pushing it out, you're like, 'What the f*ck made me think this was a good idea?' But then the child comes at the end and you're like, 'Oh yeah, it's quite sweet.' And then you might even do it again."

Lily delivered on stage in The Pillowman and delivered at the stage door afterwards, too, wearing one show-stopping look after another, which became an internet sensation in the process. But these looks were actually a result of being hounded by the paparazzi (Lily's famously fraught relationship with the paparazzi came to a head in 2009 when she obtained a legal injunction to protect her from harassment by two agencies.)

"Because of a certain scene [no spoilers here], I'd have to jump in the shower afterwards. I was leaving the show with a baseball cap on and my drowned rat hair because I didn't have time to blowdry it. The paparazzi were there every night and they were getting these pictures of me just looking like a drowned rat. I thought, 'They'll get bored of these pictures after a while,' and they didn't. They just kept coming. And Kyle De'Volle, my stylist, called me up and was like, 'Babes, we need to talk. We're missing a trick. They're not going away and it would be good if we wore some nice clothes.'

I'm not particularly a fan of getting dressed up every f*cking night," Lily continues, "but the role got harder and harder - especially in the early days - because it's just so harrowing, troubling and demanding. I started to realise that, actually, it was a really helpful process to come off stage, get in the shower, come out, and then get into another character, which was this glamorous West End dame. And it was nice to have someone in the dressing room because David was in America, my kids were at summer camp, so I was quite lonely and isolated. It was lovely to have Kyle there. My daughters were so confused, they're like, 'Where are you going?' I was like, 'To the car.'"

It turns out the way to overcome the anxiety of dining on your own is to do it in style. "Afterwards, I'd quite often go to this restaurant called Barrafina and it was like something out of an old movie," she continues. "I'd get out of my chauffeur-driven car in this long ballgown, sit at the bar on my own and order myself some olives. And they're like, 'Oh, he's not showing up?' And I'm like, 'I may look like I am here for a date, but I am here for my burger and chips.'"

Lily has always thrived in her own company, though. "I love being on my own," she reveals. "In the summertime, my kids go on holiday with their dad because we're here [in New York] for most of the year. My favourite thing if David's working is I just fly off to Italy, rent a car and I don't even book a hotel. I just drive around on my own with a book, blanket, a couple of pairs of shorts, a few T-shirts and that's it. It's the best."

Aside from filming her own personal sequel to Eat, Pray, Love after her huge theatre box office success, might a musical be on her horizon? After singing Oliver! songs and The Little Mermaid to warm up backstage, Lily is not ruling it out. "I'd quite like to have a pop at, like, Evita maybe, but I'm a bit old for Evita now. I get sick of the sound of my own songs when I'm on tour, so I'd have to really like the music in order to commit to something like that. It would have to be a f*cking moment like Evita. I would only do it if I get to do big costumes."

The big costumes will have to wait, though, as Lily has now enrolled in a year-long acting conservatory course in New York, which is the first time she has entered a school since she left at 15. "It's really teaching me a lot about myself," she admits. "It's very uncomfortable at times. I'm doing scene study at the moment with a 22-year-old boy named Ben who's lovely, and I'm playing his mum, which is great. He is playing a 17-year-old and I'm playing a 37-year-old, and I'm only a year older than that. So, I really am a mum now."

Up until now, Lily has lived a life littered with experiences that many people couldn't even imagine living through, from having her every move tracked by tabloids to a barrage of sexist articles written about her on an almost daily basis at one time. I wonder if there is a moment of sexism that really shocks her, looking back.

"When the phone hacking scandal happened, I went up against two different publications and my lawyers came because we had to go through all of the articles," she tells me. "They turned up on both occasions, the two different publications that I went head-to-head with, and they had box files of all of the articles that had ever been written about me by those publications. I'm not exaggerating, there were just seven or eight files for each different one. I was reading through them from 2005 onwards and I did think, 'How are you alive? How can one person withstand so much abuse, really?' When they're happening singularly, it just seems like it's all in a day's work, but I think those moments were probably when it hit me the hardest and I thought, 'I bet you there aren't that many men that have got files this big.'"

How did that 15-year period of extreme intrusion make her feel? "It felt pretty isolating. It's one of those things that people project their own ideas to what it must be like. And still to this day, there's a lot of, 'Well, you knew what you were getting into.' And actually, I didn't. I went up to Manchester, I wrote some songs, I put them up on MySpace, and a year later, I had 25 men with long-lens cameras on my doorstep all day, every day. I didn't go after that kind of attention; it came to me. Once it was there, it was sort of inescapable. Listen, there were upsides to it - I was making a lot of money and I was getting to travel the world - but it's a little bit like when a girl or a woman suffers sexual assault and tries to report it and someone says, 'Well, what were you wearing?' It's a little bit like that: 'Well, you play the game, too.' And it's like, 'Do I play the game? I don't know if I do. I just want to write music.'

In retrospect, I've sort of resented it slightly, because I really wanted to be taken seriously as an artist and it undercut that. It turned me into a little bit of a cartoon character and that was not something that I really enjoyed. Sadly, the way that I dealt with that was turning to substances and alcohol. It was painful and it was really hard to articulate. Nobody really could understand it unless they were going through it themselves - and women in that industry are pitted against each other, so we don't really come together and share our experiences. So, we don't even really have each other to lean on and to share those experiences, and I think that's done on purpose in some ways."

Things are certainly changing in the entertainment industry, particularly following anti-harassment movements like Time's Up. But in light of the recent Russell Brand rape and sexual assault allegations published by The Times, The Sunday Times and Channel 4's Dispatches last month (Brand denies the allegations), it is clear there is much to be done to finally make the industry a truly safe space for women. As someone who previously, and bravely, revealed that she was the victim of sexual assault at the hands of an unnamed music executive, I ask Lily what needs to be done.

"I'm not a policymaker, so I can't really come up with a solution," she responds. "There's still a lot of work to be done, but to be honest with you, I don't even really think it's for people like me or women to come up with a solution, because we have so little power in the game. It's men. Men need to come around together and decide where the line is, what is acceptable behaviour, what isn't acceptable behaviour, how they're going to call each other out when these things happen. Because women can scream and shout until the cows come home - and we have been doing this for hundreds of years and things don't really seem to change. Maybe let's stop asking women and let's ask men what they think should be done."

In the battle for women's safety, a lack of male allyship is a continuing problem, as is the desire to disprove or not believe victims. "I don't even think that men know what they've done wrong," Lily continues, "because Russell Brand had allegedly been doing what he's doing, but on one hand is being awarded 'Shagger of the Year' [by The Sun newspaper]. I feel like, again, 'How are you to know that what you are doing is wrong, if nobody in the room is telling you that what you're doing is wrong?' And men surround themselves with men primarily. A man can say, 'This happened last night,' and his mates will go, 'That's fine, mate. That's cool, whatever.' If you went into a room full of women and said the same thing, they'd go, 'Hang on. No, that's not right.' But men don't often go into a room with women and ask their opinions on things; they ask their peers. So, women can come up with solutions, but it's not until men consider them and discuss them among themselves that we can make any progress."

Lily has continuously used her voice on everything from campaigning for the families of Grenfell Tower to sharing her ADHD diagnosis to help others. Through her music, she talked about everything from blowjobs to menstruation which were, and still are, game-changing topics for female musicians to cover. Out of everything she has achieved, is this what she is proudest of? "I still get messages from people on Instagram - and even people coming up to me outside the theatre with actual tears in their eyes, saying what a profound effect I have had on their lives and their own journeys. I never really went out to do that, but that has happened, and it is..." She pauses. "Sorry, I'm getting a bit weepy thinking about it."

"It's really profound," Lily resumes. "It's really amazing because there are moments in my life where I feel so worthless, and so isolated, and such a failure, and then complete strangers come up to me with tears in their eyes."

Given the impact she has had on others, I ask why has Lily ever felt worthless? "Because people have constantly told me that," she responds. "I don't do it any more, but I'd put my name into Twitter and search it, and there would be hundreds of comments telling you exactly that. Sometimes it's hard to not let those voices come in. I have the kind of personality where 100 people can tell me positive stuff, and two people will tell me something negative, and it's the two negative things that stay with me. I've carried the weight of that in the past. I try not to let it seep in any more, but it depends how I'm feeling. Sometimes it sits and lands, and sometimes it doesn't."

Will she ever go back to music? Fellow Lily Allen fans *truly* brace yourselves for this... "Yes, I will," she declares. "I had a conversation with the record company that I have a distribution deal with yesterday about doing some sessions before Christmas. I'm not saying that I'm working on an album, because I'm definitely not, but I'm getting back into the idea of trying to find a space where some music will reveal itself.

It has to feel worthy," Lily goes on. "It has to feel like I'm doing something. I have to be processing something or talking. It has to be provocative in some way, because what's the point otherwise? I'm not here to make money and get streams. I'm here to provoke thought and to try and make sense of the world - not just for myself, but for the people that have bought into my product over the past 20 years."

Performing her hit F*ck You alongside Olivia Rodrigo at Glastonbury in 2022 (Olivia was five when the song came out) and dedicating it to the Supreme Court justices who voted to overturn Roe v Wade was a reawakening for Lily Allen: The Popstar. "It was a really powerful moment and it was fun," she says. "I hadn't been on the stage like that for a long time and to play to a big crowd like that, and I was like, 'Oh my God, this is fun. I'm quite good at this. I should do some more of this.'"

One thing Lily won't be doing if or when she returns to music is TikTok dances. "I find it hard to navigate the world of music as it is now. You are not going to get me on TikTok doing dances. It's not who I am. Bands like Pulp or Oasis wouldn't have been successful in today's world because you wouldn't get Noel Gallagher or Liam Gallagher doing those things. Or, do you think Jarvis Cocker would be doing TikTok dances? No! We just live in a different time."

In light of us talking about a potential return to Lily Allen: The Popstar, I wonder if fame has been another addiction. "Absolutely," she agrees. "It's all the same thing. It's escaping yourself in lots of ways. And when the cameras stop showing up or the handbags stop coming through the post and the flowers stop arriving, you are suddenly just a person in a room without all this stuff. So, yeah, that becomes addictive for sure."

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

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Lily Allen on sobriety, marriage, and a safer world for women: 'I don't think it's for us to come up with solutions - it's on men'

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As she wins our Theatre Actor at the GLAMOUR Women of the Year Awards 2023, Lily Allen talks everything from sobriety to Russell Brand - and returning to music.

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What happens when a celebrity feminist slings microaggressive shade?: Twitter and the pushback against neoliberal feminism

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What happens when a celebrity feminist slings microaggressive shade?: Twitter and the pushback against neoliberal feminism

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This article explores the consequences when a celebrity feminist makes subtly insulting comments, known as microaggressions, and how this triggers a response on Twitter. The article delves into the pushback against what is termed "neoliberal feminism," which emphasizes individual empowerment and market-driven solutions to gender issues. The focus is on how Twitter serves as a platform for public discourse and critique of these microaggressions, challenging the ideas and values associated with neoliberal feminism. In essence, the article examines the tensions and discussions that arise when high-profile feminists engage in microaggressive behavior and how Twitter facilitates a response to such actions

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The promotion and presentation of the self: celebrity as marker of presentational media

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The promotion and presentation of the self: celebrity as marker of presentational media

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This text explores how individuals, particularly celebrities, use media platforms to promote and present themselves. It highlights the role of celebrities as key figures in this process, as they often serve as a benchmark for how individuals use various media to shape their public image and persona.

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Lily Allen has shared a series of posts on Instagram explaining deleting Twitter

Popstar, 34, deleted account yesterday following furious tweet by Piers Morgan

Labour-supporting singer said platforms used to 'spread disinformation and lies'

Lily Allen has claimed she deleted Twitter because the platform is used to 'spread disinformation and lies' in a rant on Instagram.

The singer, 34, deleted her Twitter account yesterday following a furious tweet from Piers Morgan, who wrote: 'I think I speak for Britain when I say if @lilyallen doesn't like it here, why doesn't she f*** off?'

In a series of posts on Instagram, Allen shared her reasons behind deleting her Twitter account and said that the platforms 'have given a voice to the far right'.

However the Labour-supporting popstar claimed she was not ready to delete her Instagram account.

She said: 'It's been reported that I deleted my Twitter because I couldn't handle the abuse and humiliation that I got in the wake of my comments.

'I deleted my Twitter because I really believe that these platforms have given a voice to the far right, and they use them to spread disinformation and lies, which will win them elections and ruin people's lives. If they didn't exist we wouldn't be here.

'I want to delete my Instagram too but I am just not there yet. I so wish I was.'

Her Twitter page, @lilyallen, remains blank and displays a message which reads: 'This account doesn't exist'.

The popstar, who had been singing Labour's praises throughout their campaign, earlier suggested Conservative supporters voted for 'kids to die with no healthcare.'

She also implied their motives for swinging behind the Tories were to have 'less brown people' in the UK.

After the exit poll predicted Labour's worst performance at the ballot box since the 1935, Allen defiantly tweeted: 'Still holding out for a Labour majority'.

But as the party's Red Wall began to crumble and it became clear the party were doomed, she began unloading a spool of anti-Conservative tweets.

On Friday she posted on Instagram an image of a sad face emoji and wrote: 'Some say it was Brexit, some day it was Jeremy, personally, and I know no one wants to hear it, I think that racism and misogyny runs so so deep in this country and that Boris won because of his attitude towards those things and not in spite of them.'

Allen retweeted a post which read: 'Vote for your kids to die with no healthcare and less brown ppl but the joke is capitalism needs cheap foreign workers to exploit so will NEVER reduce immigration so jokes on.'

She followed this up by suggesting the integrity of the had been undermined by right-wing propaganda.

Allen wrote: 'Unchecked targeted bespoke propaganda. We need to start taking this seriously.'

She then responded to accusations of being one-sided by saying: 'The left don't have the resources of the right.'

Allen also ridiculed earlier in the general election campaign for posting a video in which she appeared to be crying as a result of reading Jeremy Corbyn's manifesto.

With tears streaming down her cheeks, the singer tweeted a clip of herself struggling to contain her emotions after watching Corbyn set out his eye-wateringly expensive plans for government.

Her voice cracking, she dabbed at her eyes with immaculately manicured hands and said: 'Guys I've just watched the Labour manifesto. I think it's the best manifesto I've ever seen.'

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Lily Allen claims quit Twitter because it spreads 'disinformation'

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Lily Allen, 34, has claimed she deleted Twitter because the platform is used to 'spread disinformation and lies' in a rant on Instagram. She deleted her account on Friday following election

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The Apprentice star, turned nasty celebrity commentator, did an interview with a celebrity magazine this week and slagged off pretty much every celebrity going - including Lily Allen.

The 28-year-old singer, and mum of two, wasn't having any of it though, and took her fury out on Katie via Twitter.

It's worth noting, a lot of these tweets have since been deleted.

Reacting to Katie Hopkins saying that Lily looked "pretty hideous" for gaining two stone after having children, Lily tweeted: "Yes, after tragically losing a child so late in to my pregnancy I may have gained a few pounds, I am one of many that find comfort in food,"

"The two pregnancies that followed were terrifying because of what had happened before and I was pretty much on bed-rest for 20 months," the star added.

"I wasn't exercising because I didn't want to take any risks, and funnily enough, the survival of my children felt more important than being thin."

You tell her, Allen!

Lily continued, and asked her Twitter followers: "Can somebody tell me what Katie Hopkins does except go on telly slagging off girls half her age? Ps Katie looks are obviously so important to you. There's always plastic surgery ya know. Maybe they could sew your mouth up while they fix the rest of you."

Later, Lily tweeted: "Sorry about that, but my babies are a touchy subject and I gave her exactly what she wanted by responding. I am now going to delete it all."

Her last message to Katie was perhaps the best - she tweeted this picture (below), along with the caption: "Just going to the shop , want anything Katie ?"(sic)

Lily Allen: 1 - Katie Hopkins: 0

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Twitter feud: Lily Allen takes on Katie Hopkins again

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Yesterday, Lily Allen went on Twitter and stood up for herself against Katie Hopkins and her harsh comments - Celebrity news & gossip as and when it happens - online at Glamour.com. Keep up to date with all your favourite celebrities.

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Lily Allen receives torrent of Twitter abuse after reporting a soldier to the MoD

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Lily Allen has been on the receiving end of some nasty abuse after reporting a soldier for sending her an allegedly racist message

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This source defines the characteristics of Lily Allen's celebrity status as her candid and authentic persona. She is known for being unfiltered and honest about her experiences, struggles, and opinions, which has resonated with many fans and contributed to her popularity.

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Two years ago, when askedwhat she wished she was better at, Lily Allen offered a concise reply. "Press. Shutting up. Self-censorship," she told me, nonetheless proceeding to say many entertaining things that could have got her into trouble. The singer seems constitutionally incapable of taking the easy route.

Last Wednesday Allen posted a video about her visit to the Calais refugee camp, in which she told a 13-year-old Afghan: "I apologise on behalf of my country. I'm sorry for what we have put you through." The social media backlash was fierce and predictable, as was the response from rightwing tabloids. The Daily Mail 's Jan Moir dismissed Allen's tears in the video as "patronising and self-indulgent", although some might prefer to interpret her distress as something called empathy. Allen stood her ground.

The 31-year-old singer, who has described herself as "an argumentative little shit", has been both loved and hated by the press and public for a decade now, as is the fate of pop stars with opinions. Nothing she's experienced has had the effect of muting her voice. She remains bracingly fearless - an incorrigible fly in the ointment.

She was instantly captivating because there seemed to be no distance between her music and her personality

In July she tweeted a photograph that summed up her unusual position in British life. It was a surreptitious snap of Rupert Murdoch, Nigel Farage and Evgeny Lebedev at a garden party, with the caption: "Hope I'm not sitting next to Voldemort or Fromage. I might be sick." The tweet revealed that Allen is enough of an insider to get invited to a party like that and enough of an outsider to not care about being invited back. After 10 years of fame, she still feels like an interloper, making fun of the celebrity circus from the inside.

Allen knew a fair bit about showbusiness long before she recorded her first single. Her father, who left when she was four, is actor and hellraiser Keith Allen, her mother is film producer Alison Owen, and for three years her stepfather was Harry Enfield. Family friends included Joe Strummer and Damien Hirst. It was a privileged childhood in some ways but a complicated one. "I had quite a turbulent upbringing," she told the Observer in her first major interview. "It was middle class and everything was quite comfortable, but everyone was mental."

She was a lonely, introverted child and a wild teenager who attended 13 schools before dropping out altogether at the age of 15. She did everything young, from drugs to therapy, and couldn't wait to be an adult. She set her sights on fame, believing it the fastest route to independence and self-worth. (Her younger brother Alfie became an actor, best known as Theon Greyjoy in Game of Thrones.)

Allen's first record deal, with London Records when she was 16, was facilitated by family connections but nothing came of it. As the offspring of celebrities far more famous than Keith Allen will tell you, a foot in the door is not enough. When she signed to EMI for a modest sum in 2005, she was a low priority and the label only really paid attention once she had built up a following herself by posting demos and mixtapes on MySpace.

She was instantly captivating because there seemed to be no distance between her music and her personality. On her 2006 debut album Alright, Still, Allen sang about her ex-boyfriend (Smile), her family (Alfie) and everyday life (LDN) with charming directness and caustic wit. Admiring critics compared her with the Specials and the Streets while fans embraced her as One of Us. The album sold 2.5 million copies and BBC3 offered her a short-lived chat show, Lily Allen and Friends. The scale of her success took her by surprise and she often talked about her pop career as a temporary phase rather than a dream fulfilled. This nonchalance enabled her to play less safe than more conventionally ambitious singers.

Lily Allen at a concert in London in June to celebrate the life of murdered MP Jo Cox. Photograph: Alastair Grant/AP

In an era of media-trained pop stars, Allen was as refreshingly unvarnished as her contemporary Amy Winehouse, albeit more robust. She was funny and opinionated, speaking freely about body image, insecurity and misogyny. She was also easily riled, calling Bob Geldof "a sanctimonious prat" and waging a nasty feud with Cheryl Cole that she later regretted.

To her discomfort, the tabloids couldn't get enough of her. "If you ask most people, Who's Lily Allen?, they'll say, That girl who's in the papers all the time. Not that girl who wrote songs," she said. In fact, she's an astute lyricist who accurately describes her forte as "wry social observations and intimate details of relationships", and her voice, especially on ballads, has a winning clarity and vulnerability.

Her relationship with the tabloids was tense. In 2007 she was arrested for allegedly assaulting a paparazzo. A few months later the Sun published news of her first pregnancy before her three-month scan; she later miscarried.

Routinely besieged by the paparazzi, she summed up her ambivalence about celebrity in her Ivor Novello award-winning 2009 single The Fear, which is still her best song: "I am a weapon of massive consumption / And it's not my fault, it's how I'm programmed to function." The song works so well because she implicates herself in the worst aspects of the fame industry. Indeed, her behaviour at the time was "self-destructive" and out of control. "I'm such a hypocrite," she said. "But that's why I love that song so much, because it's so ironic and contradictory."

In 2010 Allen quit music - for good, she thought - in order to move to Gloucestershire and start a family with Sam Cooper, an old friend whom she married the following year. The couple, who separated recently, have two daughters. On Twitter, she renamed herself Lily Rose Cooper, as if to say that Lily Allen, pop star, was history. Allen had been talking about leaving the music industry as far back as her first album, but the quiet life left her unfulfilled, and the Bridget Jones musical she was co-writing fell through. In 2012 she began writing songs again with producer Greg Kurstin.

Her 2013 comeback sent mixed messages. A delicate cover of Keane's Somewhere Only We Know for John Lewis's Christmas ad campaign was followed by the boisterous satire of Hard Out Here. The song itself was a feminist statement about the treatment of women in the music industry but the video, which parodied clips such as Robin Thicke's notorious Blurred Lines, botched the message by seeming to reinforce the stereotypes she was trying to critique. She received a shellacking online.

Attacking her use of women of colour in the video, the critic Julianne Escobedo Shepherd accused Allen of "using racism to skewer sexism". Even without that controversy, Allen seemed conflicted about returning to the pop fray. Among the songs about marriage and womanhood on her patchy third album, Sheezus, (a pun on Kanye West's Yeezus) were angry sideswipes at celebrity culture and internet trolls. She described it as "a vomit of stuff that's happened to me over the last few years". Reviews were mixed and sales disappointing.

A fourth album, which will reunite her with producer Mark Ronson, is yet to arrive but Allen's fame rolls on regardless.

Having previously joined campaigns relating to climate change and internet piracy, she has become increasingly politically outspoken on Twitter. She's a staunch supporter of Jeremy Corbyn (she called Tom Watson "a snake" last month for appearing to undermine the Labour leader), a backer of the Women's Equality party, and an opponent of Brexit.

In April she spoke openly about the man who had stalked her for the last seven years, in order to highlight harassment of women and the inadequate police response. The visit to Calais is further evidence of her desire to use her profile productively, regardless of the consequences.

Unlike some celebrity activists, Allen is not sanctimonious. "I'm not a prophet, I'm not a politician, I'm not a game-changer," she told me. She has always been open about her contradictions and shortcomings, in both her interviews and songs, and this openness is her most likable quality.

Most famous people understandably erect walls to protect themselves, absenting themselves from social media and avoiding tricky subjects in interviews. In order to make themselves less vulnerable, they make themselves less interesting.

Allen may be happier than 10 years ago but she is scarcely less forceful, as if any serious concession to diplomacy would be an admission of defeat. She has said that women in the music industry have often been told: "Keep your mouth shut or people will laugh at you," so she speaks her mind out of defiance rather than arrogance. Also, perhaps, because she just can't help herself. Allen once said her ambition, as a teenager, was to "make a lot of noise". In that respect, she has succeeded in spades.

THE ALLEN FILE

Born Lily Rose Beatrice Allen, on 2 May, 1985 in London.

Best of times Winning three Ivor Novello songwriting awards for her 2009 album It's Not You, It's Me and her single The Fear.

Worst of times Her second miscarriage in 2011, which led to life-threatening septicaemia. "It's not something that you get over," she said.

What she says "The world is run on fear and shame. And I don't feel like we can begin to overcome these things until we speak about them openly and stop being scared of what happens as a result."

"I don't like being put in the same category as people because we have the same genitals and boobs. Nobody is going to write 'Lily Allen v Ed Sheeran.' It just doesn't happen."

What they say "She's a needed performer. There's nobody really doing shit like that - really honest." - producer Mark Ronson

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Lily Allen: the pop singer who refuses to stay silent | Observer profile

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Last week she was widely attacked for apologising to refugees on the UK's behalf. But, just as her candour and directness mark her music, she has never been afraid to speak her mind

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'My Thoughts Exactly' is a memoir written by Lily Allen. In the book, she provides a candid and personal account of her life, discussing her experiences with fame, relationships, and personal challenges. The text sheds light on the harsh realities of celebrity culture, emphasizing the toll it takes on one's mental health and personal life. The memoir raises important questions about authenticity and the pressures of conforming to public expectations. Allen's struggle to maintain her identity in the face of fame showcases the delicate balance artists must navigate between their true selves and the persona demanded by the industry.

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*************************************

'Witty, dark, devastating' Caitlin Moran

'Unflinching, unputdownable' Guardian

'Brutally honest, funny, emotionally raw' Matt Haig

'I love it' Jon Ronson

*************************************

I am a mother, and I was a wife. I'm also a singer and a songwriter. I have loved and been let down. I've been stalked and assaulted. I am a success and a failure. I've been broken and full of hope. I am all these things and more.

I'm telling my truth because when women share their stories, loudly and clearly and honestly, things begin to change - for the better.
So, this is my story. These are my thoughts exactly.
**Includes an exclusive new chapter**

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THE NO.1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER*************************************'Witty, dark, devastating' Caitlin Moran'Unflinching, unputdownable' Guardian'Brutally honest, funny, emotionally raw' Matt Haig'I love it' Jon Ronson*************************************So, this is me. Lily Allen.I am a mother, and I was a wife. I'm also a singer and a songwriter. I have loved and been let down.

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Review: My Thoughts Exactly by Lily Allen - the dark side of sex, drugs and fame

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The most shocking thing about Lily Allen's autobiography isn't that she hired female escorts for sex while on tour, a story that's already leaked out to the tabloids before the book's released. If it's titillation you want, it's lap dancing off the page here. Allen doesn't shy away from documenting

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Allen is known for her outspoken views on various social and political issues, including feminism, immigration, and drug policy. Her activism and engagement in public discourse have contributed to her celebrity status.

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Lily Allen quits Twitter - saying site ‘gives a voice to the far right’

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Lily Allen says she left Twitter as it’s used ‘to spread disinformation and lies’, but admits she’s not ready to delete Instagram.

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This source is a documentary series that offers an intimate look into the life of British singer and songwriter. The series delves into her personal and professional experiences, including her music career, family life, and public controversies. It provides viewers with an inside perspective on the challenges and successes she has faced, giving an in-depth portrait of her life.

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Lily made her rapid ascent to pop stardom through MySpace.com, where she boasts an incredible half a million friends. The brutally honest Londoner is always quick to tell fans exactly what she thinks via her phenomenally successful blog, but despite her quirky street style and loud mouth, she remains something of a living contradiction.Born to actor father Keith Allen and producer mother Alison Owen, she enjoyed a privileged upbringing at private schools, and even got a part in one of her mother's films before launching her music singing career. Yet Lily goes from strength to strength, working on a follow-up to her bestselling album Alright, Still, receiving rave reviews of her live performances and designing a high-street fashion line.Packed with incredible facts, including the full story of her relationship with Chemical Brother Ed Simons and from behind the scenes of her first TV series, this is a must read for any fan.

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Lily made her rapid ascent to pop stardom through MySpace.com, where she boasts an incredible half a million friends.

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Celebrity in the ‘Twitterverse’: history, authenticity and the multiplicity of stardom Situating the ‘newness’ of Twitter

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Celebrity in the ‘Twitterverse’: history, authenticity and the multiplicity of stardom Situating the ‘newness’ of Twitter

# data[].attributes.body
The article explores the role of Twitter in the realm of celebrity. It delves into the historical context of celebrity culture and how Twitter has introduced new elements and complexities to the concept of fame. The article also highlights the importance of authenticity in the world of Twitter celebrities and how it has transformed the dynamics of stardom. The article identifies the evolution of celebrity in the age of Twitter and the unique characteristics that make it distinct from traditional forms of fame.

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A tearful Lily Allen led a changing of the guard today when she claimed three prizes at the Ivors, the annual awards for British songwriting.

The 25-year-old led the field, winning best song musically and lyrically, most performed song for The Fear, and the overall title of best songwriter. But the best album and best contemporary song awards also went to young performers in Paolo Nutini and Natasha Khan, aka Bat for Lashes.

"Really, truly, from the bottom of my heart, it's the songs I'm most proud of", said Allen after composing herself. "This song [The Fear] is so much about feeling lost in a lot of ways. All of a sudden, this has made me feel found".

Nutini's Sunny Side Up spent much of last year and some of this at the top of the album charts, while Khan has seen her songwriting compared to Kate Bush and won for her song Daniel. She told the crowd: "Who would have thought when I was sitting in bed writing this in my pyjamas, that I'd be standing here today"

Heartfelt speeches are not in short supply at the Ivors, an awards ceremony that remains popular with artists both for its celebration of craft above sales and its refusal to allow TV cameras into the auditorium.

As a result the Ivor Novello awards can always boast a good turnout with stars of several generations of British music in attendance, from Sir Trevor Horn to Dizzee Rascal. Paul Weller and Johnny Marr were on hand to receive prizes for their contribution to music, while Neil Sedaka won the special international award.

One of the biggest cheers of the afternoon, meanwhile, was reserved for Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, winner of The Ivors classical music award. "In a way I feel like a maverick", said the composer and master of the Queen's music. "The music I make is not popular and commerical in that way. But I have done absolutely what I bloody well wanted to do."

As the crowd was frequently reminded, music is still a successful British industry, the UK being one of the three countries worldwide that's a net exporter of music. Imogen Heap, for example, may not be a household name in this country, but is successful across Europe and won the international achievement award for her success abroad.

Some prize winners are unknowns outside the confines of the music industry. Allen shared her three awards with songwriter Greg Kurstin, while Joris De Man claimed the inaugural prize for best original video game. Indeed, the event's first round of applause went to a man called Rod Temperton, who was probably unknown even to the audience, but was responsible for writing the world's bestselling song last year, a certain number called Thriller.

There was even a moment for a little politics as the chair of the British Academy of Songwriters Composers and Authors, which runs the Ivors, used her opening speech to jump behind the campaign to save 6 Music.

"Listen to the people, that's the mantra", said Sarah Rodgers. "Closing 6 Music is absurd. Let's get political about it. Provided Nick and Dave agree."

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Lily Allen scoops three Ivor Novello awards for songwriting

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Singer leads new generation of British musical talent to be recognised by their peers in annual ceremony

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Why Becoming a National Treasure Matters: Elite Celebrity Status and Inequality in the United Kingdom" by Chris Greer and Eugene McLaughlin (2020)

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Why Becoming a National Treasure Matters: Elite Celebrity Status and Inequality in the United Kingdom" by Chris Greer and Eugene McLaughlin (2020)

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The article by Chris Greer and Eugene McLaughlin (2020) explores the concept of becoming a "national treasure" in the United Kingdom and its significance. The authors examine how achieving this status is not just a matter of celebrity or fame but is linked to social and economic inequalities within the country. They argue that becoming a national treasure often reflects a specific form of elite celebrity status that is influenced by factors such as class, race, and social background. In essence, the article highlights how the attainment of national treasure status is not solely about recognition but is intertwined with wider issues of inequality and privilege in the UK.