Hannah Waddingham Carried Her Daughter's Cardboard Purse on the Red Carpet

The Emmy-winning actress, who is promoting her new action-comedy series Ride or Die, spoke candidly about her 11-year-old daughter, Kitty, and the emotional toll of balancing a demanding career with parenting.

She often experiences what she calls "mummy guilt.", especially when work takes her away from home. "God, all the time. I’m about to go away to do press for the next season of Ted[Lasso], and the mummy guilt descends. But I have to try and combat it." Waddingham also admitted to having "The other part was going, I’ve got terrible separation anxiety. So when I watch it back, I just see a woman who doesn’t know whether she’s coming or going."

A Deliberate Red Carpet Moment

Waddingham carried a handbag made of cardboard that her daughter had handcrafted. "I picked it up and went, ‘It’s actually got more space in it than a normal, designer, ridiculous handbag, so I’m going to take it up the red carpet.’ I did it on purpose, to show her that she’s never far away from me," The actress is a single parent after her split from Italian hotel manager Gianluca Cugnetto, Kitty's father.

Waddingham's current focus is her new series Ride or Die, where she co-stars opposite Octavia Spencer. Yet, the interview reveals a star constantly navigating the push and pull between her professional ambitions and the anchor of motherhood.

Sources

• Hannah Waddingham Shares Rare Comments About Daughter Kitty Her Mummy Guilt — Just Jared