Harry Judd
Izzy and Harry Judd chat to new about the highs and lows of parenthood and their plans for Father’s Day
Harry and Izzy Judd are counting their blessings. The couple, who are refreshingly open about the fertility struggles they faced after getting married in 2012, are now parents to daughter Lola, four, and son Kit, two.
Their dream became a reality with the help of IVF but, despite their joy, Izzy’s past struggles with anxiety resurfaced with the pressures of parenthood – something Harry was able to empathise with after battling his own demons at the height of his Mcfly fame.
The couple met in 2005 when musician Izzy was playing violin on Mcfly’s Wonderland tour. And when we catch up with them for a chat, they are as frank as ever, with Harry admitting the daily routine with two little ones can be “intense”. But he adds, “Parents of teenagers remind me it goes by so quickly, so I know we’ll only look back on the good things.”
The pair tell us the past few months haven’t been too different from their usual life. “We’re used to having time together. Because of the nature of our work, we’re always in and out,” Izzy says. “I’m used to his dishwasher antics!”
Here, Harry, 34, and Izzy, 36, chat about how having kids changed their relationship and play dates with the other Mcfly offspring…
Have you enjoyed spending more time with the kids lately?
Harry: The kids coming along coincided with Mcfly having the quietest period in our 15-year career, so I’ve had lots of time with them already. I’ll forever be grateful for that because I think a male influence is important. But recently it’s been more intense because it’s every day. It’s been lovely, but I’m not going to lie, I said to Izzy it’s almost better when you get home from a day at the studio and you have two lovely hours with them then they go to bed! Now it’s from 6am and you’re like, “How long till bathtime?!”
Do they play well together?
Harry: Most of the time, but they argue too. Kit’s a bit more physical, snatching and grabbing things, but Lola is pretty patient with him.
Are they friends with the other Mcfly kids?
Harry: Danny Jones lives near us and his boy Cooper [two] is really sweet. He and Kit are just getting to an age where they’re taking an interest in each other.
Izzy: Lola and four-year-old
Buddy [Tom Fletcher’s son] are very sweet together.
Harry: Buddy is the wild one of Tom’s kids and when they all came over pre-lockdown, Tom and Giovanna couldn’t believe he sat nicely with Lola and stayed at the table for an entire meal.
Izzy: A female influence!
Did you notice a change in their behaviour when they couldn’t play with other kids?
Harry: They’ve adapted pretty well, but at times we’ve noticed a bit of frustration.
Izzy: Kit’s younger so he’s loved having Daddy around. Harry has been Mr DIY, so Kit follows him around the house with his pretend tools! For Lola, because she should be starting school in September, she’s at that stage where she’s keen to learn. She’s been a different girl since they both went back to nursery.
You’ve both been open about suffering with anxiety. Does it put you off having a third child?
Harry: It’s something we consider, in terms of if our personalities are conducive to having a big family. On good days, we go, “Let’s have another one!” On the not so good days we’re like, “Two’s plenty.” Izzy: Because it was a struggle to start with, I’m very grateful for what we have.
Did having kids change your relationship?
Harry: Yes, because the focus has to shift, which took some adjusting to. Izzy’s very caring and I like that in our relationship. Obviously, when children come along, there are more important people involved so I had to adapt to that. But equally Mum needs TLC, so it’s always being aware of that.
Do you think it’s important for people in the public eye to be open about the struggles of parenthood?
Harry: It’s a personal choice. Some people in the public eye stay private and I totally respect that. It’s difficult because we never want to feel like we’re telling people how to be parents, because we’re forever getting it wrong ourselves. I’m conscious sometimes it seems like we have this perfect life, so I want to talk about the realities of it, but then you don’t want to seem like you’re complaining because we’re so lucky. We overshare in general, so with the fertility stuff it was natural for us to talk about it. But sometimes I did think, “Why did we tell them that?!”
Do you have any plans to celebrate Father’s Day?
Izzy: I always give Harry a lie-in. He’s terrible on no sleep.
Harry: I give you lie-ins, too!
Izzy: Every day is Father’s Day at the moment because the kids are with Daddy. We’ll be sad to not be with our own dads and the children not to be with their grandfathers. We asked them to film bedtime stories, which has been lovely.
Do you manage to fit in time for yourselves as a couple?
Harry: Izzy and I have quite simple requirements. I feel like we almost have date night every night, because after the kids go down we have dinner and talk or we watch something together – often for about 10 minutes and
then it goes on pause and we start talking about life admin!
Was it difficult having to put the Mcfly reunion tour on hold?
Harry: Yeah, I’ve really missed rehearsing. Luckily we were able to postpone the dates. We got a lot of recording done at the start of the year, so at some point we’ll be back. There’s been a lot of Zoom chats about songs we’d already recorded and we’ve been doing some recording from home.
Tell us about the Soltan campaign you’re involved in…
Izzy: We’ve put together a collection of activities for Play Packs that encourage kids to get outside. We’ve noticed it really helps not only with their sleep but with their imaginations too. Harry has really enjoyed building dens! Harry: It’s helped me get really involved because they’re more engaged. And it challenged us to come up with ideas to encourage the kids to be more creative.
Izzy: You can download the Play Packs on your phone, so if you don’t have outside space you can use the activities in the park.
Are yours too little to want to be inside?
Harry: We’re lucky there. But there’s the fateful question, “Can we watch something?” so we’re trying to navigate that. It’s taking that responsibility to engage with them.
Izzy: Also, it’s important to feel present with your children, because when we’ve got our own worries sometimes our minds aren’t there. There’s a mindful play section in the Play Pack, which helps you bring your focus back to the present.
Harry and Izzy created the Soltan Imaginative Play Pack full of activities to encourage kids to get outside, play and let their imaginations go on an adventure. Download for free at boots.com/soltan/ imaginative-play-pack