Lily Allen is sharing another deeply personal chapter of her life, revealing that she’s been in therapy for a shopping and spending addiction.
Speaking on the latest episode of her BBC podcast Miss Me? with longtime friend and co-host Miquita Oliver, the “Smile” singer revealed she’s been in therapy for what she described as a “spending addiction”.
“I actually did EMDR therapy yesterday on my spending,” she told Oliver. “And how it’s related to my sense of self-worth and we tried to separate the two. So let’s see how that goes.”
Allen went on to explain that she believes her urge to constantly spend stems from feelings of not deserving financial security. “I think I try and get rid of it [money] because I don’t think I deserve it,” she admitted.
The 39-year-old, who released her breakup album West End Girl this year, said she’s been undergoing eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy for the past four to five months, calling the experience “life changing”.
“You usually start by deciding an area, like a traumatic experience you want to focus on, and visualise the experience and identify the feelings that are coming up,” she said. “If you’re trying to stop a negative behaviour like spending or drug taking, you do the opposite and think of the good feeling and try and dissociate that feeling from your self-worth.”
Allen shared that she’s been reflecting on her spending as a way of “marking the moment” — admitting to recent splurges, including a £16,500 (AUD $33,000) Hermès bag and a £120,000 (AUD $241,000) Porsche. “You’ve got to treat yourself and mark the moment. I’m convinced I’m a billionaire. Handbags have been bought, jewels and a car has been bought,” she joked.
Still, she was careful to add that she isn’t advocating for EMDR as a one-size-fits-all solution. “I am not a doctor and I am not qualified to give that kind of advice,” she said on the episode. “But this is what is working for me currently.”
Allen has spoken candidly about different forms of addiction over the years. In a 2024 interview with The Times UK, she reflected on her past alcoholism and celebrated five years of sobriety, saying that her “kids feel safe” now — something she “didn’t always” feel growing up.
Lead image: Miss Me Podcast
