Michelle Keegan has opened up about her life as a working mum, revealing that she is “absolutely shattered”.
The actor, 39, welcomed her first child with TV star husband Mark Wright last year. Keegan gave birth to daughter Palma in March 2025.
In a new interview, Keegan spoke about the “tough” balancing act required of her a new mother navigating the demands of her job.
She said she went in “blind” when accepting her role on the newly released ITV crime drama The Blame prior to giving birth to Palma. In it, she stars as DI Emma Crane opposite co-star Douglas Booth.
Keegan told Grazia that she did not realise how difficult it would be to adjust to her new life as a mother.
“Listen, I think I went in blind,” she said. “Obviously I agreed to the role before I had Palma, because I was so excited by it. I think you just believe that you're going to be fine.
“And of course I can do it, loads of women work full-time and are a mum. But it is hard. It's really hard.”
She continued: “I had long days and had to go home and learn a lot of lines for the next day and be fresh, but still look after the baby at night when she was up. Luckily Mark’s brilliant, he's a great partner and he’s such a good dad as well.”
Keegan praised both her family and her husband’s family for being “brilliant” as well, but noted: “I’m not going to lie. It’s tough… I’m absolutely shattered.”
It is not the first time that Keegan has spoken about the difficulties of her new life. Earlier this month, she and her co-star Booth, 34, appeared on This Morning where she told hosts Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary: “I was shattered!”
“It wasn’t easy but we got through it and Doug was brilliant,” Keegan added.
While the former Coronation Street star is currently starring in The Blame, she did withdraw from consideration for another ITV series.
According to The Sun, Keegan was set to play a barrister in the new unnamed series, but withdrew from the project months before filming began because she wants to spend more time with her family. Jodie Whittaker will replace her, as per reports.
At the time, ITV confirmed that “early conversations occurred”, but clarified that Keegan was never contracted so it’s incorrect to say she pulled out.
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