After being tipped for Hollywood stardom, Michelle Keegan is feeling “torn” between being a full-time mum and making the most of some exciting job offers. The former Corrie actress gave birth to baby Palma just four months ago, but already has TV execs vying to hire her, a source says, leaving her with a dilemma.
“Michelle has always been a hard worker, so she’s torn between staying at home with Palma and getting back out there,” our source claims. “It’s not an easy industry – you’re self-employed so you never know when your next job might be. It’s still really early days, but these are the questions she’s asking herself, because she’s very much in demand. Everything Michelle touches lately seems to turn to gold.”
The couple are both juggling work and parenthood(Image: Alan Chapman/Dave Benett/Getty Images)
Just weeks ago it was reported that Stockport-born Michelle had signed a six-figure deal to become the new face of Sky – alongside Luther star Idris Elba. And Michelle recently shared some photos of herself stepping back in front of the camera for a mystery project.
Stylish in linen trousers and a top with ‘Copacabana’ written across the front, the 38-year-old was having her hair and make-up done. This could be her first big professional commitment since having Palma – her first child with her husband, former TOWIE star turned presenter Mark Wright – on 6 March.
But for Michelle, who shot to fame in 2008 as barmaid Tina McIntyre on Coronation Street, it also means stepping away temporarily from the most important role of her life – motherhood.
Parenting expert Joy Randolph tells OK!, “What Michelle is feeling is completely normal – and incredibly common for new mothers; that emotional tug between wanting to be there for every moment with your baby, and also honouring the career you’ve worked so hard to build. It’s not a lack of love or commitment. It’s the reality of being a working mother today.
“Her situation reflects the reality of many. She’s not choosing one over the other. She’s trying, like millions of women do, to hold both her baby and her career in the same hand. That’s not a weakness. That’s motherhood.”
With Michelle’s Sky comedy Brassic wrapping on its seventh and final season, she is clearly eager to stay connected with the network, in a new capacity.
Our source goes on to say, “The Sky deal is her dipping her toe back in the water and working out what she’s comfortable with. She knows she won’t get this time back with Palma, but it’s hard saying ‘no’ when you’re in demand and you don’t know how long that will last."
The source continued, “The thought of leaving her baby even for a short time is really hard, even though Mark is an amazing dad and very supportive. She’s really ambitious and had such success with Fool Me Once that it’s hard for her to think about staying away from work for too long.”
Post-Corrie, Michelle’s career skyrocketed, as she took lead roles in BBC military drama Our Girl, Sky’s Brassic and BBC Australian period drama Ten Pound Poms.
But her star power was cemented last year, with her impressive turn as Maya Stern in Netflix’s Harlan Coben thriller Fool Me Once – which became a global hit and sparked rumours she was being touted for roles across the pond.
Between jobs, she’ll no doubt return to the couple’s Essex home to pick up where she left off. And Michelle and Mark have evidently been enjoying their time as new parents, sharing glimpses of Palma on their social media accounts.
The couple and daughter Palma – whose name is believed to have been inspired by the Spanish island of Majorca, where they own a property – recently returned from Spain’s £300-a-night SO/Sotogrande Spa & Golf Resort Hotel after a break with Mark’s extended family, Palma’s first holiday abroad.
And, as our source claims, Mark has taken to fatherhood “like a duck to water” and will support Michelle in whatever she decides. Mark, also 38, was back at work in the Heart FM studio with pal and co-presenter Olly Murs just days after Palma’s birth.
Speaking to the Dance With Me Tonight hitmaker, who also became a dad for the first time last year, a besotted Mark said he’d be videocalling his wife and daughter during their studio breaks.
“It makes you realise what our mums did for us, and makes me have so much more respect than I already had for what women go through,” he added, praising Michelle as a “superhero”.“Michelle has really bonded with Palma – as has Mark – and she is loving every second of being a mum, they both feel it’s all been worth every second of the wait for her. She’s such a happy baby and Michelle and Mark are brilliant parents – nothing seems to faze them. They’re both in their element.”
