While parenthood has become the societal expectation for loved-up couples, starting a family isn't on the cards for everyone.
Whether it's a question of wanting to preserve independence or limit the environmental impact that comes with bringing a new person into the world, the reasons for not wanting children are numerous.
Among those swerving parenthood are a plethora of celebrities who've publicly spoken about their decision not to have children (or at least, any time soon). Keep scrolling to see which stars are currently child-free by choice…
Tracee Ellis Ross
American actress Tracee Ellis Ross has been vocal about her decision not to start a family, stressing that having children is still a cultural expectation.
Speaking to The Times in 2018, she said: "The husband and the babies are the expectation of what's supposed to happen at a certain point, and people fall back on, 'Well, that's the point of the human species, procreation.' And I'm, like, 'I think there are a lot of babies, isn't that part of what's going wrong, there's too many?' Some people could be working on the world being a better place or just being happy."
Miley Cyrus
'Wrecking Ball' hitmaker Miley Cyrus has shared her uncertainty with regards to starting a family. Speaking to W Magazine in June last year, the star candidly shared: "I'm 31 now, and I still don't know if I want kids or not," before adding: "I feel like my fans kind of are my kids in some way."
Renée Zellweger
For Bridget actress Renée, motherhood has never been a key ambition. Back in 2008, she told People that she tries not to have expectations.
"Motherhood has never been an ambition. I don't think like that. I never have expectations like, 'When I'm 19, I'm going to do this, and by the time I've hit 25, I'm going to do that'. I just take things as they come, each day at a time, and if things happen, all well and good.
"I just want to be independent and be able to take care of myself. Anything else is just gravy," she told the publication.
Helen Mirren
Hollywood actress Helen Mirren has previously spoken about her experience of being constantly questioned about her family plans. Speaking to British Vogue, she explained how motherhood was not her "destiny," before admitting: "I kept thinking it would be, waiting for it to happen, but it never did, and I didn't care what people thought.
"It was only boring old men [who would ask me]. And whenever they went, 'What? No children? Well, you'd better get on with it, old girl,' I'd say, 'No! [expletive] off!'"
Leonardo DiCaprio
In 2016, Leonardo DiCaprio revealed that he didn't have plans to welcome children due to his concerns regarding the environmental impact.
When asked by Rolling Stone magazine whether he would ever like to start a family, he said: "Do you mean do I want to bring children into a world like this? If it happens, it happens. I'd prefer not to get into specifics about it, just because then it becomes something that is misquoted. But yeah. I don't know. To articulate how I feel about it is just going to be misunderstood."
Patricia Clarkson
Sharp Objects actress Patricia Clarkson has been incredibly candid about her reasons for not wanting to start a family.
Appearing on an episode of iHeartPodcast's Table for Two with Bruce Bozzi, she explained: "I had a window to have a child, but [at] the end of the day I loved working, and I grew up with great parents who sacrificed everything for me. And you have to really be committed to having children. You have to be a great parent, and I was afraid I couldn't be."
Chelsea Handler
Comedian and actress Chelsea Handler has previously spoken about her decision not to have children. "I don't think I'd be a great mother... I don't want to have a kid and have it raised by a nanny. I don't have the time to raise a child," she said on The Conversation With Amanda de Cadenet back in 2013.
Seth Rogen and Lauren Miller
Hollywood couple Seth Rogen and Lauren Miller have expressed their thoughts on living child-free lives on numerous occasions.
Appearing on a podcast in 2023, Seth said: "Honestly, the older we get the more happy and reaffirmed we are with our choice to not have kids. It was something we kind of talked about more, and we were like, 'Have we made the right choice? Are we sure?.'" He continued: "Now, more than anything, the conversation is like, 'Honestly, thank God we don't have children.'"
Dolly Parton
Country music legend Dolly Parton believes that having children was never meant to be in her life plan.
She made the revelation on an episode of The Oprah Conversation, saying: "I didn't have children because I believed that God didn't mean for me to have kids so everybody's kids could be mine, so I could do things like Imagination Library because if I hadn't had the freedom to work, I wouldn't have done all the things I've done."
Andrew Garfield
We Live in Time actor Andrew Garfield has spoken about his path in life and how it compares to the expectations he once had. "It's interesting – I always thought I would be the first [in his friend group] to have kids and settle down, and they’re [his friends] all shacked up and a couple of kids deep, for the most part," he told GQ in 2022.
"It's more about accepting a different path than what was kind of expected of me from birth. Like, by this time you will have done this, and you will have at least one child — that kind of thing. I think I have some guilt around that. And obviously it's easier for me as a man...".