EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW AND PHOTOS
When Lydia Bright first walked into her beautiful Georgian house, she knew she had found her dream home.
She had been searching for a place to put down roots with daughter Loretta, who turns four in February, and this felt like another milestone for the tightknit pair.
A single parent since Loretta was born, influencer, entrepreneur and former reality TV star Lydia, 33, has had to balance motherhood with running her property business and social media career, as well as find time over the past year to become an author and lovingly renovate their 18th-century house in west Essex.
Inviting hello! inside the property for this exclusive interview and photoshoot, Lydia tells us: “Loretta and I have always had this very intense bond because it’s just the two of us. I’ve never experienced parenthood any other way, so I don’t know what things would be like in a twoparent family, but I’m very lucky to have my family nearby to help.
MOTHER’S PRIDE
“Being a single mum means I’ve been able to experience all of those magical moments, like her taking her first steps or saying her first words, all to myself.
“Loretta is confident, inquisitive, super smart, adventurous and absolutely hilarious. She’s a massive extrovert and a born leader and I’ve always tried to encourage her and let those parts of her flourish. She’s a really lovely little soul and she’s the love of my life.”
Their bond is the inspiration behind Lydia’s latest project, an illustrated children’s book called Mummy and Me, about an elephant and her calf Etta who go on a magical adventure.
She has, of course, been reading it to Loretta at bedtime.
“Loretta is such a bookworm and whenever I read her a book, she always asks: ‘Who is the illustrator and who is the author?’ so I couldn’t wait to tell her that the author is me.
“I first had this idea when I was pregnant and knew I was going to be a single mum, and I was looking for books that would make Loretta feel represented. I wanted to create a magical story and I’m fascinated with elephants, because in the wild they are single mothers and the rest of the herd help them bring up their calves. I always say they are my spirit animal.
