Actress Caroline Quentin has said she should have said “no to work” and spent more time with her two children when they were younger.
In an interview featured in Good Housekeeping’s April issue, the 63-year-old said she thought she had to say yes to work because she was the breadwinner.
The Men Behaving Badly star, from Surrey, said: “God, I missed them. I mourned them terribly when I was away. I think that’s probably why I feel so bad about it, because it left a hole in me.
“I should have said no to work and yes to them, but because I was the breadwinner, I thought I had to do it.
“Well, I didn’t, did I? But you can’t turn back the clock, you have to live with these things.”
Quentin also discussed discovering new inspiration in her 60s, taking charge of her mental wellbeing, and the solace she finds in gardening.
She said her love for gardening grew from her “quite chaotic” childhood, which was shaped by her mother’s struggle with bipolar disorder.
“When I was 10, I was sent to boarding school with these horrible, grumpy matrons and regimented bath and mealtimes.
“But getting out in nature and watching things grow felt like time out from the ‘real’ world. It was an opportunity to leave all the sadness and scary things behind.”
The April issue of Good Housekeeping is on sale now.
