Holly Willoughby has opened up about being a working mother, confessing that it is her role as a parent that gives her the most meaning in life. Speaking at The Athenaeum Hotel on Wednesday evening, the 36-year-old - who has just been announced as the new ambassador for Diet Coke - explained: "I have become quite good at becoming strict with my time and in everything I do in life. I think people think that I work a lot more than I actually do, I work Monday to Thursday and I always have Fridays off."
EXCLUSIVE: Holly talks being mum to children Harry, Belle and Chester
Holly is a proud mother to three beautiful children - seven-year-old Harry, five-year-old Belle and Chester, two - with whom she shares with husband Daniel Baldwin. Elaborating further, the TV star admitted that her number one priority will always be her family - no matter what. "If I work in the afternoons than I make sure I'm home in time for bedtime," she added. "I have to do that, otherwise I go a bit grey inside. I love work but the most important thing is my family and making that right. If that doesn't feel right, I really put the brake on and pull back. Even friendships will sort of go down the pecking order because it's not as important as that really, if I'm honest. If they're true friends, they'll always understand that. I have a group of mums who are friends and we all are on the same page."
Holly Willoughby has opened up about the pressures of being a working mother
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When quizzed whether her friendships have changed since welcoming her children, Holly remarked: "They haven't really changed massively. Except that I've got new friends now - ones I've met at the school gate which is quite nice. It's quite new because I've never experienced that before, it's been really lovely because you have a lot in common with someone in a completely different way." She added: "I don't think it has changed much. I think you might see each other a little bit less but I think the quality of seeing each other is exactly the same and the feelings are still there. I think sometimes when your friends are also mums, I feel like you cement that friendship, knowing that you're all going through this together - it helps having that bit of solidarity."
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The TV personality was on hand to celebrate Diet Coke's new Get The Gang Back Together campaign at the intimate launch. Unveiled as the brand ambassador for 2017, Holly also shared her secrets on friendship. She explained: "I have friends that I have met at different stages in my life and we have grown up together, but what they all have in common is we can talk to each other about anything and you never feel judged because they perfectly understand you."