Celeb Style: Maternity leave headline here

0 Comments | Sunday Mirror, Aug 8, 2004

GWYNETH PALTROW

What she said:

'You can't do movies back-to-back and see your child. I might not work for ages'

What actually

happened:

When the baby's arrival was still a few weeks away, the 31-year- old Oscar winner had denounced working mothers for putting their movie careers ahead of their children. Fast forward three weeks and she'd given birth to Apple, and was having much more difficultly with giving up sought-after roles. She'd agreed to star in a film about the life of Marlene Dietrich and produce it

as well.

length

of maternity

leave:

22

days

FIONA BRUCE

What she said:

'I wouldn't advocate any woman rushing back after having a baby'

What actually

happened:

The BBC believe Bruce - reportedly nicknamed Lady Macbeth by her BBC colleagues - set a new record for cutting short her maternity leave. Within 16 days of giving birth to her second child, Mia, 37- year-old Fiona returned to presenting Crimewatch, a decision that became a subject of national debate. "I'm not a career monster," she insisted.

length

of maternity

leave:

16

days

KATE HUDSON

What she said:

'If it's going to affect my career, then fine, let it. Because if that's what being a star is all about, I don't want it'

What actually

happened:

As soon as she'd lost her pregnancy weight (60lbs), Hudson was back to work on her next film, The Skeleton Key, nursing baby Ryder Russell Robinson on set. While she had previously taken a two-year break from movies to spend time with her new husband, she has proved far more comfortable with the prospect of balancing motherhood with a full-time movie career. She says: "How lucky am I as a working mother than I can have my baby with me all the time? "

length

of maternity

leave:

12

weeks

ZOE BALL

What she said:

About having given up her prestigious Radio1 job so that she could be in the correct stress-free state to conceive:

'I want to be at home. I've sort of turned into my mother'

What actually

happened:

Zoe cut short her maternity leave to film The Priory after going stir crazy at home. "I honestly think I took too much time off, when I was pregnant with Woody," she said. "There are only so many times you can wander round Marks & Spencer and only so many soft furnishings you can buy." Now Cook Jnr two is on the way, Zoe says she wont necessariy take a

great deal of time off work.

length

of maternity

leave:

3

months

KATE WINSLET

What she said:

"My career comes second. There are some actors who do back-to- back jobs. That's not me,"

What actually

happened:

Though she had initially planned to take seven months off from all film, within weeks Kate was in negotiations to star in a new project alongside Ewan McGregor. But there are signs that Kate has decided to stick to her original plan about balancing working life with the demands of motherhood. The actress recently dropped out of a Woody Allen film to spend more time

with her daughter Mia, three, her six-month-old son Joe and her second husband, the director Sam Mendes.

length

of maternity

leave:

7

weeks

JORDAN

What she said:

'I want to spend all my time with Harvey because he needs me'

What actually

happened:

Less than two weeks after giving birth, 24-year-old Jordan was modelling again. "After Harvey was born, I couldn't wait to get back to modelling," she says. Then eleven weeks later the 32DD model celebrated her first cover and centrespread for Playboy magazine, partying with Playboy founder Hugh Hefner and a posse of Bunnies while Harvey was being cared for by her mother in a hotel on Sunset Strip. "If people expect me to turn into an earth mother

and start wearing Laura Ashley dresses, then they are going to be disappointed," she says.

length

of maternity

leave:

10

days