Cameron Diaz and Benji Madden announced the happy news of their daughter's arrival in a joint statement at the beginning of January – surprising fans who had no idea that they were expecting a baby. And while the celebrity couple have vowed to keep their baby – who they have named Raddix – out of the public eye, Cameron has opened up about motherhood in the past. The actress has spoken out about the pressures society puts on women who don't have children by a certain age, and revealed back in 2012 that she was unsure whether she would have kids, but that she was never going to do anything to please anyone else.
Cameron Diaz has previously opened up about her thoughts on motherhood
While chatting to Harper's Bazaar, Cameron reflected: "If one day I am blessed with the experience of having a child, I would be overjoyed, but I am not sitting here feeling empty because I haven't yet, or that I may not." That same year, she also opened up about babies while talking to Redbook: "I thought I was going to be married and have two children by the time I was 21," she said. "I think I felt I had to model my life after my mother's. But then my career was starting to take off and there were still so many things I wanted to do. So that dream for me was shattered early on. After that I never put another time line on anything in my life."
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Cameron and Benji Madden announced the arrival of their daughter Raddix on social media
Two years later in 2014 when rumours were circulating surrounding her then engagement to Benji, Cameron told Marie Claire: "I'm not looking for a husband or marriage or not be looking for that stuff. I'm living, not thinking what I should or shouldn't be doing with my life. We live in a society where everyone has kids, so they want other people to have kids. There is this culture that says celebrities are supposed to be just like us, so people think, 'I have children, why doesn't she?' But I'm not going to do something because it is expected. If a family happens, then it happens. If children come to me, then I would do that, but I'm not someone who feels like she has to do something because it's expected."
Cameron and Benji have been married since 2015
Shortly after Cameron's interview, it was announced that she had married Benji, and since then there have been many reports that the couple had been trying for a baby. There is no doubt that the couple will be doting parents to their daughter, and their friend Gwyneth Paltrow recently praised Cameron after the news of Raddix's arrival was announced. Talking to Entertainment Tonight on the red carpet at the Golden Globes on Sunday evening, the 47-year-old said that Cameron was "going to be the best mum".
Raddix's arrival was announced on Friday. Cameron and Benji's message – which was posted on Instagram - read: "Happy New Year from the Maddens! We are so happy, blessed and grateful to begin this new decade by announcing the birth of our daughter, Raddix Madden. She has instantly captured our hearts and completed our family. While we are overjoyed to share this news, we also feel a strong instinct to protect our little one's privacy. So we won't be posting pictures or sharing any more details, other than the fact that she is really really cute!! Some would even say RAD." They signed off the announcement with well wishes, saying: "From our family to all of yours, we're sending our love and best wishes for a Happy New Year and Happy New Decade."
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