Lily Allen gave rare insight into her and David Harbour’s breakup timeline in her latest interview.
The singer appeared on “CBS Mornings” Thursday to discuss her scathing “West End Girl” album, inspired by her marriage to the 50-year-old “Stranger Things” star.
The Grammy nominee, 40, hinted that she split from Harbour prior to last Christmas because she finished recording the album before the holidays.
Lily Allen hinted at her and David Harbour’s breakup timeline on Thursday. GC Images
The singer spoke about her breakup album, “West End Girl,” on “CBS Mornings.” CBS Morning
When Allen was asked how she felt about wrapping up the project, she noted, “My life was falling apart, so I had to go deal with real practical stuff. It was Christmas. I’ve got two kids.
“I realized I needed to go do some work on myself, and I checked myself into a place to go and get the help I needed,” she continued.
“I’ve been institutionalized before but not of my own volition. Usually I’ve been sort of pushed there by doctors or concerned family members, but I knew the things I was feeling were too intense,” Allen added, insisting she is “not afraid of … doing work” and “needed some quiet time.”
The songwriter wrapped up the project around Christmas. CBS Morning
“My life was falling apart,” Allen said. CBS Morning
Allen’s stay at an emotional treatment center made headlines in February, the same month news broke of her separation from the actor after four years of marriage.
Split speculation, however, had been circulating for weeks after the songwriter made a cryptic comment on her “Miss Me?” podcast.
“I’m finding it hard to be interested in anything. I’m really not in a good place,” she said in January, after Harbour was reportedly spotted on the celebrity dating app Raya, where the duo initially connected.
“I know I’ve been talking about it for months, but I’ve been spiraling and spiraling,” Allen added at the time. “It’s got out of control. I’ve tried.”
She described going to an emotional treatment center for “some quiet time.” CBS Morning
Her separation from Harbour was confirmed in February. Getty Images for Netflix
Allen released her viral record last month.
Waiting to release the songs, which she wrote as an “act of desperation,” “stunted [Allen’s] healing process,” she confessed during Thursday’s sit-down.
“It was kind of hellish. … I felt like I couldn’t get on with my life,” she explained, calling the Oct. 24 release “completely and utterly liberating” — as well as “affirming” and “validating.”
The duo, who wed in 2020, had been sparking split speculation for weeks. Getty Images
Allen revealed how she is doing “a year” after the drama. Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
As for how she’s faring in the wake of the “brutal” breakup, Allen said she’s feeling “f–king amazing” after doing “a lot of work.”
She gushed, “When you’re in it and when you’re going through that kind of pain, people always say, ‘It will pass, you’re gonna come out the other side.’ And you really do not believe it, but I’m here a year later living my best life.”
The “Smile” singer raved over her upcoming tour, sharing excitement over her and ex-husband Sam Cooper’s two daughters — Ethel, 13, and Marnie, 12 — getting to come along on the bus with their friends.
“All of the pain I’ve been through, they’ve been through too,” Allen noted. “One thing I wanted to do was show my kids you can ease that pain and harness it and turn it into something else, and I think I’ve done that.”
The Grammy nominee has done “a lot of work” and feels “f–king amazing.” Dave Benett/Getty Images
“I’m living my best ife,” she told viewers. Instagram / @lilyallen
Harbour has yet to comment on the album, in which his estranged wife implies he cheated outside of what she calls an “arrangement” in their “open” marriage.
When asked about the breakup in an April interview with GQ Hype, he simply replied, “Oh, boy.”
The former couple tied the knot in Los Angeles in September 2020.
