I’m so glad I wasn’t a stay-home mum, says Gemma
PERHAPS Gemma arterton shouldn’t be surprised if she isn’t invited to a school reunion – after apparently passing judgment on many of her former classmates.
The former Bond girl said she couldn’t have been a stay-at-home mother like many girls in her home town, and having children instead of a career would have left her ‘in a dark place’.
Miss arterton, 32, who grew up in Gravesend, Kent, told Radio Times: ‘Where I came from, it’s normal for the wife to stay at home, look after the kids and not have a career.
‘It’s something I witnessed. I thought, “Wow, if I’d married my childhood sweetheart and done that, where would I be?”. I think I would have descended into a dark place.’
Miss arterton, who starred in the Bond film Quantum Of solace, made her comments after returning to her home town to film The Escape, about a poor mother- of-two with depression. Critics said that because Miss
‘She’s not qualified to speak at all’
arterton was not a mother herself, she should not judge those who bring up a young family at home.
Claire Paye, of the group Mothers at home Matter, said: ‘she’s not qualified to speak at all. That’s ridiculous. she doesn’t know what she’s talking about, basically.
‘To be “in a dark place” implies mental illness rather than being the primary carer for someone who loves you very much.
‘Mothers do get depressed. One reason might be because everyone tells them their job isn’t worthwhile.’
Blogger and stay-at-home mother Georgina Clarke, 26 added: ‘It’s a very negative thing to say... a dark way to look at things.’
Psychotherapist Noel McDermott said raising a child raises production of the hormone oxytocin in the brain, giving ‘huge mental health benefits’. he added: ‘The opposite of what Gemma arterton said is true. People who have good, stable child-rearing tend to be physically and emotionally healthier.’