Exclusive: Mollie King talks motherhood after grief, baby fashion, and conquering mum guilt

Mollie King is performing the ultimate balancing act. When not at the Radio 1 studio recording her popular show with Matt Edmondson, the former Saturdays bandmember is raising her adorable one-year-old daughter Annabella with her cricketer fiancé Stuart Broad. 

Ever the fashionista, the busy mum-of-one sat down with HELLO! ahead of the launch of Maybe Baby, Boots' new clothing line designed to bring contemporary and stylish looks to little ones aged zero to two years old, for which she is an ambassador.

Adapting to life as a new mum

You only have to talk to Mollie for a short amount of time to get a sense of her adoration for Annabella. "I had no idea how much I would love this little one," the 'Up' singer reveals. "It seems like a stupid thing to say, I couldn't imagine it before, but this little girl is my whole world.

"Everything revolves around her being happy, safe, and well, but I've learned that everything is a phase. If you're going through a tricky time, whether it's that the little one isn't sleeping, or maybe you're trying to start weaning and that isn't going well, you need to be kind to yourself."

Partnering with Boots on Maybe Baby

Working with Boots has been a dream come true for the star and mum-of-one, especially as it is a project she has been able to weave her own experiences of motherhood into.

"Before you have a little one, you don't think about needing to change them when they are out and about," Mollie says. Now she considers if a clothing item has a zip or poppers and if it is comfortable for the little one - while still being cute and stylish.

Mollie tells us that she adores the teddy bear jacket in the collection, as well as the blue and white checked dress. "It was quite weird for me with that item in particular because I've got photos of me wearing one when I was younger. This is a much more contemporary up-to-date version, but it's a classic that's never going to go out of style," the Radio 1 star says. "I think it's really sweet to have something like that in the wardrobe."

The philosophy of making parents' lives easier underpinning this collection is so important to the star as a mum who looks for baby clothes that are versatile, comfortable, and stylish when she's busy juggling it all.

Getting real about mum guilt

Mollie exudes love for her daughter, but in the same breath, she is open about her experience of guilt that so many working mothers experience.

"You do struggle with feeling like, 'I want to be at home, but I also need to be working'. And it's like, how do you juggle this?," Mollie admits. "[It's often] easier to support other people than it is yourself.

"I'm so tough on myself," she continues. "I'm really hard on myself. I'm my own worst critic, but I was very aware of this beforehand, and I've always tried to say to myself, 'Don't feel guilty for this', but it is one of those things you can't help."

The 'Ego' singer admits that she misses Annabella when she is at work. "When I came back from maternity leave, I was like, 'Right, Mollie, don't be one of those people that's always talking about that child'. But I just am and I can't help it. I get the phone out with videos and photos... Everybody is brilliant at listening."

She also reminds fellow mums experiencing guilt that they should feel valid in continuing to work after their baby is born if it fulfills them. 

"It can be really easy to feel like you're failing and like you should be doing better and to compare yourself to others, which is the absolute worst thing," the star continues.

Mollie tries to remember that she is on her own motherhood journey and is learning on this adventure every day.

Feeling supported by Stuart

Key to Mollie feeling supported as she navigates her motherhood journey is her fiancé Stuart Broad, who Mollie says is the epitome of a hands-on dad.

"He absolutely adores [Annabella], she is his world," the doting bride-to-be says. "He loves playing hide and seek and taking her to the park. We're both quite outdoorsy types, so we love to take her out and about to see lots of new things."

Even when Stuart is away with work, he makes time to check in with Mollie and Annabella. "He always FaceTimes and Annabella is very switched on as to how it works now!," Mollie jokes. 

In April, the family of three was able to share a special day as Stuart collected his CBE for services to cricket. 

"It was magical," the doting mum remembers. "It felt like a bit of a fairytale moment for us, and it was lovely to be able to all be there together. Annabella is probably not going to remember this, but I made sure I was taking a million pictures of her with her dad holding up the CBE. I think it meant the world to Stuart that she could be there."

Mollie says Stuart's calm demeanor helps her in her more anxious times. "I'm a real overthinker and since becoming a mum, I do worry a lot," the star admits. "I'm not an 'it'll be okay' kind of person. I wish that I was. And luckily, Stuart is like that so we balance each other out."

The broadcaster explains that some of her anxiety comes from feeling overprotective of Annabella, but is partly just in her genes. In times like this she speaks to herself like she would a friend, reminding herself that being a worrier is just part of who she is.

Mollie's village

It takes a village to raise a child and Mollie certainly has a much-appreciated support network around her in the shape of her mum Susan, who lives just 10 minutes away, and her in-laws. "We have a lot of very keen grandparents, which to say that we're grateful for would be an understatement," Mollie tells us. 

"When we've got a last-minute event that we need to go to or if I need to do a recording with Radio 1 that I wasn't expecting, they are amazing. Stuart's mum often drives down the M1 to come and help us out."

Raising a little one alongside processing grief

With the presence of her mum and supportive in-laws, it is impossible for Mollie to not feel the void of her father Stephen who sadly passed away in 2022, just days before Annabella was born. The former girl band member opens up about navigating this new stage of her life while processing her grief.

"There's always going to be good days and there's going to be bad days. It still feels really fresh," Mollie explains. "I have days sometimes where I wake up and think it's all a bad dream.

"I have to look on the positive and say that I'm very, very lucky that the timing of losing my dad coincided within a few days of the birth of my daughter. She is just like magic to me. She's a light that is always there. I'm very fortunate that I've got her and that she came into my life at that time."

The former This Morning star says it is important to her that her dad still feels a part of Annabella's life despite not being around to see her grow up. "I make sure that I talk to Annabella a lot about my dad," she tells us. "I want her to feel like she knows him…I want to make sure that it feels like he's very much still part of the family."

Annabella's special milestones 

Seeing Annabella grow up brings a new feeling of joy to Mollie and Stuart every day as she continues to reach new milestones.

"We feel like the tiniest thing is a milestone, like, 'Oh, my God. Did you see her? She just pointed'", she says adding, "That's not a milestone, Mol!". "But, yes, she has been up and walking for a few months, you should have seen our house!

"It was ridiculous how excited we were. It was just unbelievable. We were calling everyone. We were FaceTiming everyone being like, 'Look at her. She's on the move'. I was crying!"

Mollie tells us that Annabella is even starting to run now, joking that working out feels unnecessary with Annabella around, and shares how she may be following in her mother's pop star footsteps by developing a love of music.

"Even if we're singing 'Old MacDonald', she's very sure now about what animal she wants you to do next," the 37-year-old says.

Soon singing nursery rhymes will transition into talking. The star says: "She is saying the odd word here and there, which again feels like a massive leap forward. She's understanding things, so that's been incredible. But honestly, the tiniest thing feels like a major milestone each day."

Taking Annabella on holiday

Another special moment with Annabella was taking her abroad as Mollie and Stuart jetted off to Corfu in July with their daughter. "I am somebody that likes to think about everything and I have to say I was really surprised…they are so adaptable these little babies," she reveals. 

"She was great on the flight; I made sure that I had a lot of things in my backpack to entertain her with. Long gone are the days of things for me in the backpack. It's all about books in there and little toys."

Not only was the holiday a special moment for Annabella, but Mollie says it built her confidence as a mum. "I think it's quite important to be able to have those little breaks and to create memories," she says. "I don't want to be led by the fear of thinking, 'How is she going to be on the flight?'".

Embracing the chaos

Mollie is also learning to embrace the chaos at home with a child under two. In 2023 Mollie and Stuart moved into a gorgeous airy property in London and she admits that amongst the chaos, she does like to have some sense of order. 

"I feel like a clear room helps me have a clear mind. So, yes, I am that mum packing the toys up at half nine at night... Obviously, it's going to look like absolute chaos again by 7:00 am!"

Mollie's 'me' time

In amongst the chaos, Mollie is able to find snippets of me-time. She says spending time with Annabella is her favourite way to spend her downtime. "I do feel like it's flying by already. If I am doing something on my own, it's probably meeting up with friends for a coffee, or going out for a walk with our dog Alfie," she shares. 

"It's nice every now and then to have the odd pamper like getting my nails done or having a chance to work out if I can. I've always felt like I really benefit from being active," she adds. "But I've got such a great group of friends. I think if I'm able to go out for a coffee with one of them and just chat, then that really does make me happy."

Mollie and Stuart's wedding

Looking forward, there is a particularly momentous occasion on the horizon for Mollie and her cricket star beau. In 2021 Stuart popped the question, presenting his bride-to-be with a stunning oval-cut engagement ring.

In the rare quiet moments in the couple's life, they start to think about what their dream day may look like.

"When we do get the odd moment to ourselves, like sitting down for dinner or watching a movie, we might say, 'That's how I want the wedding to be!'," the bride-to-be tells us. 

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"I feel like my head is a Pinterest board of ideas. I've got so many visual ideas of how I would like it to be." For now, the 'Higher' singer's focus is on Annabella, though Mollie allows herself to look forward to her daughter's role in their special day. 

Expanding their family

The adoring mum is also keen to expand her family when the time is right. "I'm one of three. I've got two older sisters, and they are my best friends," Mollie says. "I've always thought it would be amazing for Annabella to have a sibling if possible. That would be our dream."

Maybe Baby is exclusive to Boots and is available in 180 Boots stores nationwide and online at boots.com, making it easily accessible for parents across the country.