Hannah Waddingham has two movies out in theaters: Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning and the live action remake of Lilo & Stitch. She just got back from Cannes and she’s been busy! Mr. Rosie and I saw M:I-FR and Hannah’s role is small, but important. She does a fantastic job in it. The rest of the movie had some absolutely wild stunt scenes. I’ve seen the behind-the-scenes stuff with that final action sequence (IYKYK), and holy sh-t, Tom Cruise really does think that he cannot die.
Along with being an in-demand actress, Hannah is a single mother to a 10-year-old daughter. She recently sat down with The Sunday Times. They talk about filming Mission: Impossible, her fertility struggles and parenthood.
“Thank God she is the utter joy of my life because it is unyielding responsibility,” Waddingham, 50, told The Sunday Times of her 10-year-old daughter in an interview published on Saturday, June 7.
“I feel like more people should talk about how exhausting it is,” she added, chuckling. “Not only physically showing up for them but being the best version of yourself, because they respond to actions far more than words.”
Waddingham, who does not name her daughter publicly, told the outlet that she decided she wanted to have a child when she was single in her 30s — but that the path to parenthood was a difficult one.
“I was told I couldn’t have children and then I went down the eastern medicine route, had my body balanced out,” she explained. On her 40th birthday, after conceiving her daughter without any medical intervention, she took her baby girl home.
Later, Waddingham separated from her daughter’s father, Gianluca Cugnetto, an Italian businessman. At 50, she’s raising her daughter as a single mother, telling the outlet that after her daughter suffered a health scare when she was 3 she only picks jobs that work with and for her life as a single mom.
“[She’s] my greatest champion and my most horrific critic,” Waddingham said of her daughter, who is now also showing an interest in the entertainment business after starring in a school production of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.
”[Motherhood] is an unyielding responsibility. I feel like more people should talk about how exhausting it is.” Amen, sister. We moms work hard and carry so much weight – physical, emotional, mental, etc. There are also so many threats to their safety – in school or out with friends – that even on the good days, you’re worrying. Now that I am a parent, I often compare myself to my mother and grandmother. I think about how I react to things vs. how my mother did and wonder if I’m doing better. I knew motherhood was going to be exhausting, but I wasn’t prepared for how emotionally taxing it would be to also have to be the “best version” of myself when I feel anything but. There are definitely times when I find myself ducking into another room to take slow, deep breaths to not lose my temper. Some days, it feels like you’re all learning and growing together.
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- Celebrities arrive for the premiere of ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’ at the 78th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France Featuring: Hannah Waddingham Where: Cannes, France When: 14 May 2025 Credit: Dave Bedrosian/Future Image/Cover Images **NOT FOR PUBLICATION IN GERMANY**
photos credit: Justin Ng/Avalon, Jimmy James/Avalon, Getty
I’m sure her 10 year old daughter would love to read this….
I think it’s fine. A little authenticity and honesty is good for kids and their resilience.
And she’s right – it’s either the best worst thing I’ve ever done, or the worst best thing. It probably depends on the day 🙂
None of what she said disparaged her daughter. And she’s not wrong. Caring for an entirely different person other than yourself is exhausting. And I love that she talks about having to constantly monitor yourself so you can model the best person you can be for that brand new person. It’s refreshing.
This comment is exactly the reason she’s saying it. Because so many people feel like a woman being honest about what parenthood is really like is insulting or disrespectful in some way.
@Inge: She didn’t say anything wrong or disparaging about her daughter. Having someone’s life entirely in your hands is a big responsibility, and it doesn’t help to pretend that it’s not. You did a good job at 1) shaming her, and 2) for no reason.
I don’t understand your whinging whatsoever. Are you saying that a 10 year old would be scarred if she heard her mom raising her is exhausting? GTFOH
My 13 year-old daughter is going through puberty at the same time she’s grappling with an ASD diagnosis and the depression/anxiety which so often accompany both. Parenting her is EXHAUSTING. It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Harder than surviving cancer. Harder than losing my parents. But I love her so deeply that I get up every morning and I do it – acknowledging how difficult it is isn’t about disparaging my child, it’s about the self-awareness that I’m still a human being with feelings. Hannah didn’t insult her child; she made a comment on how difficult parenting is from her specific vantage point as a single mom. We are so insanely harsh and judgmental of the parenting of others when sometimes maybe a little more grace would create a better community of support for us all.
I empathize and see you. My kids had the same five years ago, similar ages. We are hanging in there, some days by the tips of our fingernails. The things that best support autistics, consistent routine, calm reactions, fall almost completely on moms. It seams insurmountable at times. And so much of it (the work) is invisible to the world, or, if not invisible (behaviors/reactions), people wonder what as a parent you’re doing wrong. A saving grace for me has been finding mom friends in similar family situations, and making time to see them. Sometimes it’s once a month, or even less, but it helps. I also hide! In a book, on my phone-on this site! The whole oxygen mask analogy is true. But motherhood doesn’t make it obvious or easy. I’m thinking of you and again, I SEE you. Thank you for being an awesome parent. You have the hardest job, and you are doing it with love and compassion. Reward yourself whenever you can!
I think she’d appreciate reading that her mother os doing her best, always trying to give her the best version if herself. I get the sense that if/when she falls short, she apologizes — something my mom has never done.
I don’t know of a single mother who doesn’t say motherhood is exhausting. So, who are the people who should talk about it more? Men, perhaps?
these are weird comments here. I’m really disappointed- not a lot of grace given to HW or to mothers in general. this is part of the problem (at least in the US but in the other countries I’ve lived in too)- that everyone just shrugs and goes welp, motherhood is hard wah wah stop crying about it.
for me, motherhood has brought me to my knees- my daughter has had a chronic illness for nearly a decade that is generally hard to treat and creates chaos in the family unit.
given that the developed world continues to undervalue motherhood, even “regular” experiences of motherhood are challenging at best. I long for a day when we can bring more empathy to this conversation.
also parenting in this era is wildly different from previous generations with so many more layers of awareness and access and information but also higher expectations, pressure and the complexity of the modern world.
if you want to be a cycle breaker, it’s hard as shit. no one should be denigrating this woman for naming it.
Love everything you have to say here @gah.
And wishing your daughter, you and your family all the best
Thanks so much Ocho. It has certainly made me a very diff person and I’m far more empathetic as a result but I have a way lower threshold for emotional immaturity or people who take without reciprocity.
This site is my downtime outlet!! And the comments sections always 🙂
@Gah: Well said. You mentioned “also parenting in this era is wildly different from previous generations…” and that’s a great point also simply because there used to be a sense of community and village-like living. You had people around who helped share the load and take the lid off the pot, whether that was sharing meals or childcare or whatever. Things are a lot different now.
And I’m sorry to hear about your daughter’s chronic illness; I’m wishing her peace and good health, and for you and your family as well.
We’re understandably quick to raise a brow at helicopter parents but are perhaps quicker to call the police if a parent lets their child play in the front yard or walk to the CVS down the street. It’s a particularly weird time to parent because of that dichotomy.
Thank you so much- and everything you said tracks- we experienced intense isolation because of my daughter’s illness and it’s not as empathy inducing as say childhood leukemia.
No meal trains no caring bridge accounts just people falling by the wayside bc our life became unmanageable and unpredictable.
Even my own family took 8 years to fully grasp the chaos of autoimmune brain inflammation in a child.
We all need more villages!
I think we all talk about it, but one doesn’t appreciate just HOW hard it is until one has a kid. It’s a 24/7 job. They look to you for reassurance and safety, so you have to watch your reactions. They have their little growth spurts and struggle with different things, and you have to be gentle and consistent, even when you’re having a crap day. You worry about them all the time. You feel guilty when you’re away. It’s unyielding, as she says. But when that little hand touches my face…it’s all worth it 🙂
I have spent more time parenting in a MONTH than my mother did in a lifetime.
I have spent more time parenting in a WEEK than my FATHER did in a lifetime.
I’m not helicoptering, it’s mainly changes to the expectations of care from parents now versus 40 years ago.
I say this all the time! I wish I had been a mom back in the 70s and 80s, definitely a bit easier than today. But I also know how hard it was for my mom – so it’s always been hard as a mom. Dads, on the other hand, still don’t do enough as a general rule. But I think HW is right – outside of mom circles there’s general talk about moms being superheros and how hard it is to be a mom, but there aren’t real conversations about how exhausting it is, day in and day out, and the mental and emotional labor moms do on top of everything else. I love my kids more than anything but this has also been the hardest thing I’ve ever done, and I’ve gone through a lot of hard things in my life.
I don’t know if we can compare or even should compare the 1970’s to today. Women didn’t have the same employment rights, the same economic rights, day care barely existed, medical care for both mothers and children was not as advanced, victims of domestic violence were just stuck, and fathers pretty much did nothing around the house.
Raising children will always be exhausting and every generation will have its challenges.
Women today have fewer rights than they had in the 70s
Yes. I have been tired for 3 years now lol. This is the greatest joy I’ve ever known and it’s also the hardest job I’ve ever had.
My mom would fit in a 20 minute nap every day at 4pm after work and before dinner/evening kids activities. She was tired. I never took offense to that as a kid.
Everything GAH said is true, and many of the young adults and millennials who could have children choose not to because it is so hard. Modern society doesn’t support parents, especially single parents, and governments trying to encourage an increase in birth rates don’t make a real invest in supporting families. So now we have the attempts to implement the Handmaid’s Tale in the U.S. Ugh.
It is hard. There is a lot of pressure to get it right because you are shaping another person’s foundation. Motherhood made me realize that I never really learned how to regulate as a child, which means doing therapy for childhood issues I didn’t even realize I had so I can calm my nervous systems and be a better mother for her. Motherhood also made me realize I have ADHD, and the neurodivergence is likely why I’m easily overwhelmed and anxious compared to my husband. I only have one because despite the immense joy she brings me, it’s hard to just be present every day. Maybe I’ll get to a place where I can have another one day (hopefully soon because I’m 37).
It is hard and exhausting and confusing. Social media makes it harder too – i almost liken it to dieting or trying to eat healthy – I can watch 10 tiktoks in a row* and they will all say something wildly different about the best way to lose weight or gain muscle etc. Same thing with parenting. Within the span of 5 minutes I’ll get 10 ways I’m doing it wrong. I dont parent according to social media, but it is mentally tiring. and in FB groups everyone is a perfect mother of course.
and thats without getting into how people idealize past decades of parenting.
*reels on IG or FB, bc I’m a xennial like that. I have tiktok but don’t understand it lol.