Childhood and Education Journey of Lily Allen in Timeline

Discover the defining moments in the early life of Lily Allen. From birth to education, explore key events.

Lily Allen is an English singer, songwriter, and actress known for her outspoken lyrics and pop music. She gained prominence in the mid-2000s through her MySpace presence and debut album, *Alright, Still*. Allen's music often blends pop sensibilities with ska, reggae, and electronic influences, addressing social and personal issues. She has achieved critical acclaim and commercial success with albums like *It's Not Me, It's You* and *Sheezus*. Beyond music, Allen has also ventured into acting and has been recognized with awards and nominations, including a Brit Award and Grammy nomination.

Sections (6)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Success & Recognition Challenges & Struggles Controversies & Scandals

May 1985: Lily Allen's birth in London

On May 2, 1985, Lily Allen was born in Hammersmith, west London, to Keith Allen and Alison Owen. She has siblings Sarah, Alfie, and Rebecca. She is also the goddaughter of Daniel Kleinman and Angela McCluskey and a third cousin of Sam Smith.

June 2007: Allen Arrested for Alleged Assault

On 28 June 2007, Lily Allen was arrested in London for allegedly assaulting photographer Kevin Rush while leaving a nightclub in London's West End. Prior to this, she had expressed discomfort with attention from the paparazzi on her Myspace blog.

June 2008: Performance at Glastonbury Festival

On June 29, 2008, Lily Allen performed at the Glastonbury Festival alongside producer Mark Ronson. She dedicated her performance of "Littlest Things" to her grandmother, who had passed away the night before.

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2008: Gray First Made Contact

In 2008, Alex Gray made first contact with Lily Allen via a tweet claiming he wrote the song "The Fear" under the Twitter handle "@lilyallenisRIP".

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February 2009: Allen Stops Addressing Controversies on Blog

By February 2009, Lily Allen had stopped addressing controversies about herself on her blog because she found it "boring when people just pick stuff up and write about it. People get hurt, people get upset."

February 2009: Viral marketing campaign for 'It's Not Me, It's You' and performance with Mick Jones

In February 2009, the online game Escape the Fear was released as part of the viral marketing campaign for Lily Allen's album It's Not Me, It's You. By February 18, 2009, the game had been played over two million times. Also, Lily Allen and Mick Jones performed The Clash's song "Straight to Hell" on an album for the charity Heroes.

May 2009: Magazine Publishes Fake Interview

In May 2009, French football magazine So Foot published a fake interview in which Lily Allen was quoted as making derogatory remarks about David and Victoria Beckham and Ashley and Cheryl Cole. Some of the material was reprinted in The Sun. Both publications apologized and paid damages to Allen.

September 2009: Considering acting and possible retirement from recording

In September 2009, Lily Allen announced she was considering a career in acting, would not renew her record contract, and had "no plans" to make another record.

October 2009: Allen Deletes Social Media Accounts

In October 2009, after building her career on Myspace, Lily Allen deleted her social media accounts and announced "I am now a neo-luddite. Goodbye".

2009: Reunion of The Specials members

In 2007 at the Glastonbury Festival, Lily Allen reunited two members of The Specials, an act that guitarist Lynval Golding claimed played a "massive part" in the group's 2009 reunion.

February 2010: Allen Reactivates Social Media Accounts

In February 2010, Lily Allen reactivated her social media accounts, four months after deleting them.

August 2010: Pregnancy Announcement

On August 5, 2010, Lily Allen announced that she was pregnant with her and Sam Cooper's first child.

December 2010: Engagement to Sam Cooper

In December 2010, Lily Allen and Sam Cooper became engaged while on holiday in Bali.

June 2011: Wedding to Sam Cooper

On June 11, 2011, Lily Allen and Sam Cooper wed at St. James Church in Cranham, Gloucestershire, England, with Allen being several months pregnant.

2011: Expecting a boy in 2011

In 2011, Lily Allen was pregnant with a boy and experienced complications early in the pregnancy.

2013: Birth of Second Daughter and Postnatal Depression

In 2013, Lily Allen gave birth to her second daughter, Marnie Rose, following which she experienced postnatal depression.

2014: Allen Uses Adderall

In 2014, Lily Allen became addicted to Adderall to lose weight before touring with Miley Cyrus.

2014: "Identity Crisis" after "Sheezus"

In 2014, Lily Allen experienced an "identity crisis" following the release of 'Sheezus', feeling controlled in her musical choices.

2014: Allen Pays for Sex with Female Escorts

In 2014, Lily Allen paid for sex with female escorts while married to Sam Cooper and on tour promoting her album Sheezus. These details were later revealed in her book and on social media, linking the events to her personal struggles during that period.

October 2015: Stalker Sends Email and Intrude

In October 2015, Lily Allen's stalker sent an email to his mother, stating he was planning on murdering a celebrity. He spent nights in her back garden, broke into her bedroom, and ultimately forced Allen to move.

2015: Allen and Cooper Break Up

In mid-2015, Lily Allen and Sam Cooper broke up after she confessed to acts of infidelity.

April 2016: Allen Gives Vote to Women's Equality Party

During the London assembly and mayoral elections in April 2016, Lily Allen announced that she would be giving "half her vote to the Women's Equality Party" by voting for them on the London-wide Assembly list but voting Labour elsewhere.

April 2016: Gray Convicted of Burglary and Harassment

In April 2016, Alex Gray, Lily Allen's stalker, was convicted of burglary and harassment. He was later sentenced to an indefinite hospital order.

June 2016: Allen Supports Jeremy Corbyn

In June 2016, Lily Allen published several tweets and attended protests in support of Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, following mass resignations from his cabinet and a leadership challenge.

February 2017: Allen Diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder

In February 2017, Lily Allen revealed that she had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

February 2017: Diagnosis of PTSD

In February 2017, Lily Allen said that she was diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder after the stillbirth in 2010.

June 2017: Allen Discusses Grenfell Tower Fire on Channel 4 News

On 15 June 2017, Lily Allen appeared on Channel 4 News to discuss the Grenfell Tower fire, claiming that "the death count has been downplayed by the mainstream media" and disputing the official figure. The official death toll is now 72.

June 2018: Allen and Cooper Finalize Divorce

In June 2018, Lily Allen and Sam Cooper finalized their "friendly divorce" and agreed to share custody of their children.

September 2018: Lily Allen Reveals Paying for Sex with Female Escorts

In September 2018, Lily Allen disclosed on Instagram that she had paid for sex with female escorts in 2014 while married and touring to promote her album Sheezus. She explained that she preempted a Daily Mail article by sharing these details, linking the events to her postnatal depression and marriage breakdown, stating she was "not proud, but not ashamed."

November 2019: Allen Endorses Labour Party in UK General Election

In November 2019, during the UK general election campaign, Lily Allen declared that the Labour Party manifesto was "the best I've ever seen" and shared a picture of her polling card with the caption: "Tories OUT."

2019: Allen Begins Relationship with David Harbour

In 2019, Lily Allen began a relationship with actor David Harbour. They later made their red carpet debut during the 26th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards.

March 2020: Mentions of past addictions

In March 2020, Lily Allen stated that her new album would only feature "odd mentions" of her past addictions, feeling she had moved on mentally.

September 2020: Allen Marries David Harbour in Las Vegas

In September 2020, Lily Allen married actor David Harbour in Las Vegas, a day after obtaining their marriage certificate. The wedding ceremony was officiated by an Elvis impersonator.

January 2021: Allen Discusses Adderall Addiction

In January 2021, Lily Allen gave an interview to discuss how she became addicted to the prescription drug Adderall in 2014 to lose weight before supporting Miley Cyrus on her Bangerz tour.

2023: Allen Diagnosed with ADHD

In 2023, Lily Allen was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

December 2024: Separation Allegations

In December 2024, newspapers alleged that Lily Allen and David Harbour had separated after Allen's dating profile was reportedly spotted on Raya—but these allegations have not yet been confirmed by the couple.