ANNA FRIEL - FRIEL STRUGGLES AS A WORKING MUM

FRIEL STRUGGLES AS A WORKING MUM

British actress ANNA FRIEL finds it difficult to juggle her movie career with life as a mother - insisting the birth of her daughter left her so drained she nearly fainted on a movie set.
The star welcomed Gracie, now three, in 2005 - her first child with longtime partner David Thewlis and was back at work filming soccer movie Goal weeks after the birth.
Friel admits she was so tired from looking after the tot, she went seven days without sleep and her health began to suffer.
She tells British magazine Closer, "The ground was moving and I felt I was going to faint. If you can get through that, you can get through anything. You get so over-tired. You want to be there for your child at night and I was breastfeeding, but then I'd get to the point where I couldn't sleep when I got to bed. It went on and on. Eventually the doctor gave me a sleeping tablet and I slept for a weekend."
Friel now sympathises with other working mums who also make the difficult decision to continue their career after having children.
She adds, "I think it's very difficult for working mothers nowadays. Before a woman could take two years off, but I don't think that's possible for women in showbusiness or in any industry any more."