15 Stars Who Proved That Motherhood at a Young Age Doesn’t End Your Career

Back in the 1970s, women in the US were having their first child at around 21.5 years old. Now, American women are more likely to become new mothers in their 30s. Women don’t rush into having children for many reasons, one of which is to pursue a career. But having kids doesn’t mean you have to give up on your career. We can see proof of that in famous singers, actresses, and supermodels.

1. Adele

When the singer was 24, she announced she was expecting her first child with her boyfriend at the time, Simon Konecki. A year earlier, Adele had released her cult album 21, which became the fourth best-selling album of all time. And the longed-for motherhood in no way diminished the singer’s creative ambitions: she even wrote the song Sweetest Devotion in honor of her beloved son.

2. Tess Holliday

The famous plus-size model gave birth to her first son at the age of 20. At the time, she was still only dreaming of a career; she was a single mother and worried about lack of money. “I was constantly worried about our future and ached to make a mark in the world, to be able to support myself and son doing something I loved,” recalls Tess of those days. For the sake of her child’s future, Holliday burst into the fashion world and reached her goals.

3. Bryce Dallas Howard

The actress had planned to have children after 30, but fate had something else in store for her. She got married at 25 and found out she was pregnant a week after the wedding. Bryce is now raising a son, Theodore, and a daughter, Beatrice. The actress managed to strike a balance between her Hollywood career and her family: she stars in blockbusters, but keeps her children away from the glamorous life and the paparazzi.

4. Blake Lively

The film star gave birth to the first of her three daughters in 2014, when she was 27. According to Lively, children have had a profound effect on her self-esteem and the projects she takes part in: “I want to be in films, I want to make films, I want to author films that I would be proud for my children to see. Even the gowns I wear—I just want my kids to be proud.”

5. Natalia Vodianova

“I was only 19 when I gave birth to Lucas, my first-born”, the supermodel recalls her first pregnancy. Vodianova saw nothing difficult in combining motherhood with a career, and now, at the age of 40, the celebrity has had five beautiful children.

6. Megan Fox

Pregnancy changes a woman’s life dramatically. Megan Fox experienced this first-hand, having given birth to her first child at the age of 26. According to the actress, having a baby gave her a new purpose in life, as at the time Megan was at a complete loss: “It’s given me the ground that I needed to grow into something quite special.”

7. Lily Allen

When the 25-year-old British singer announced her long-awaited pregnancy, she said that having children “is ultimately my main goal in life and more of a priority than flying around the world jumping up and down on stage singing songs.” But luckily for fans, Lily didn’t give up on music.

8. Keisha Castle-Hughes

In 2006, the 16-year-old actress, who already had an Oscar nomination under her belt, announced that she was expecting a baby. A year later, she had her daughter, Felicity-Amore. Despite such an early introduction to motherhood, Keisha didn’t give up on her film career. She took a two-year break, and then returned to filming.

9. Jessica Alba

Having children can give rise to business ideas, as it did for Jessica Alba. Her first daughter, Honor, was born when the actress was 27. It was Honor’s birth that inspired Jessica to start her own global company to make products that would be useful for children and affordable for their parents.

10. Halsey

The young singer faced reproductive difficulties, but when, after years of struggle, doctors told her the good news, she was over the moon. “I don’t need to put out a third album. I’m just going to have a baby!” At 26, Halsey became a mother, but she didn’t give up on her career and continued to write and produce music.

11. Solange Knowles

Beyoncé’s younger sister started working on her own album at the age of 14. Four years later, she gave birth to a son, whose father was her high school sweetheart. She had to put her music career on hold. While the boy was at school, the singer worked on a new album, and her efforts paid off. In 2017, Solange became the proud winner of a Grammy.

12. Miranda Kerr

The former Victoria’s Secret model made a promise to herself that she would give birth to her first child at the age of 27. When she reached that age, she accidentally found out she was expecting a child with her husband at the time, Orlando Bloom. “We were so excited and happy, we were just like ‘wow, this is such a life-changing moment,’ ” says Miranda of that time.

Pregnancy was not a hindrance to her career: Kerr made history as the first pregnant model on the cover of Vogue. And two months after giving birth, Miranda was participating at Paris Fashion Week.

13. Kaya Scodelario

Kaya Scodelario became famous after starring in the teen series Skins at the age of 14. Since then, the young actress’s career has grown rapidly, and her personal life has not stood still, either. Ten years later, she became a mother, which was why she didn’t appear in any films or series during the whole of 2016. A year later, the actress made a triumphant return to the big screens, starring in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales.

14. Karolina Kurkova

Kurkova is another former Victoria’s Secret model who became a mother at 25, at the height of her career. The year before, Karolina was named the world’s most desirable woman. She now has three children, who’ve inspired her to create her own wellness line for kids.

15. Gal Gadot

Gal Gadot is not only a wonder woman, but also the mother of three daughters. She had her first girl, Alma, at the age of 25. “I always wanted to be a young mother,” says the actress. By her own admission, she loves bringing new life into the world so much, that she would do it every week if it were possible.

How have you (or other people in your life!) combined careers with child-rearing?