'I thought I was COMPLETELY UNLOVABLE'

Daisy May Cooper on motherhood, her battle with alcohol addiction, and why she's started to like herself at last

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Daisy May Cooper shot to fame with This Country, the BAFTA-winning, village-life mockumentary she co-wrote and co-starred in with her brother Charlie. Further success came with the hit comedy thriller Am I Being Unreasonable? and unconventional love story Rain Dogs.

Yet life hasn't always been so good for the actor and writer, who was also recently a team captain on the game show Password. Here, the 38-year-old mum opens up about her interest in the afterlife, her baby son's traumatic arrival, and her single-mum struggles.

Tell us about life as a mum of three...

My daughter Pip is so unlike me. She likes rules and regulations. She'll want to play teachers, and I'm forever a student. She's telling me how to live my life, and I'm like, 'You're six. You drink milk at break time.

How dare you? I pay my taxes!' Jack's more like me. He loves Playmobil.

I did The Masked Singer [as Otter] because Pip loved the show. She was furious. She said, 'Why would you go on that? You can't sing.' I said, 'I did it for you...' And a giant pay cheque.

Your other son, Benji, was born prematurely in June. What happened?

He was seven weeks early. I was getting painful contractions, then my waters broke.

Your other son, Benji, was born prematurely in June. What happened? I ended up having an emergency C-section and haemorrhaged. It was touch and go.